Psionic Memories
by DreamingofFreedom
Summary: When Sollux Captor was one of the few trolls to survive the game, he had hoped nothing more would have to happen. But when an amnesia ridden female troll crashes on his planet, he can't help but offer her any aid he can give. Her amnesia was not from a stroke of fate however... and Sollux is quick to find himself in a new danger that he must stop before it is too late.
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! I am hopelessly new to , recently inspired by my friends to finally try putting something up. I typically always use an OC character in my stories. Also I do not own Homestuck! I guess just the story idea and the OC character? Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story, reviews are always appreciated, and thanks for reading!**

Prologue

There was a story passed on among survivors…

Far in the depths of space, among the stars and the planets, great shadows lurked in thirst for blood. Whole planets were swallowed by this evil, consumed without a single trace in the blackness of space. The demonic void of darkness crept through the galaxy in its hunger for death. There had been no mortal being that could stand up to it, they were immediately swallowed up. Sometimes their bodies were infected by the dark matter if they had commendable ability to dispose distant planets' life forms for an easier, quicker feast. Any possible survivors were the few that escaped the darkness and warned other planets of this imminent being. Though many prepared, they still stood no chance against the evil. It was named Erebus, feared by all remaining planets that knew of it.

It had seemed that Erebus would devour the entire galaxy, until the day it came up the planet Verdena. Filled with peaceful trolls, it appeared weak and infantile, but upon this planet there was a troll of mature age with fascinating psionic powers. She was different from the others with her abilities, her left eye a complete scarlet red while the right a sapphire blue. Her horns gaged outward, but two small horns by them curved inward towards each other. Born under the sign of Gemini, she proudly displayed the symbol on her black shirt. Her long black hair glided past her shoulder blades, to the middle of her back. Different as she was, the trolls of Verdena loved her. Her kind and caring attitude made her a role model, and with her fascinating powers she was a force to be reckoned with in combat. She could control her psionics completely, bringing them forth only when she desired them.

So when Verdena was attacked by Erebus, she took it on herself to protect the trolls. While the others ran to safety as the skies darkened with black, she stayed out, observing the situation at hand and building up power into the palms of her hands; red in her left, blue in her right. The result expected was her to win, to succeed at killing this monster that had been reeking havoc in the galaxy. But when she took combat with Erebus, only her screams could be heard echoing through the land. The trolls swore they heard Erebus laugh at her attempts, and remark at how weak she was, a useless slave for his power before tossing her body out into space in disgust. Erebus had no need for weak trolls, especially those who felt they could save others. She was dead anyway. The darkness jolted her body, flooding into her to tear and burn her inside. Her psionics went wild from her eyes, firing an optic blast that Erebus had to admit fazed him slightly. But she was gone, left to float through space forever.

Verdena was consumed, and Erebus chose to rest for a few years afterwards, needing to recover the first wound ever received. The Gemini troll, however, floated on, far out into the galaxy. The story was passed down from survivor to survivor within months. But planets could only tremble and wait for their impending doom when Erebus awoke again. He was a force unable to be stopped. It was only a matter of time anymore.

The only being that could possibly do anything, the female Gemini troll with psionics that managed to injure Erebus, could only be assumed dead. Along with any hope of surviving the awaiting hell.


	2. Chapter 1: Saruna Kerida

Chapter 1: Relatable Gemini

Sollux Captor sighed heavily as his computer rejected the same code he inputed at least ten times in that day. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head and spitting an agitated curse out with his natural lisp ruining the 's' in any word. What the hell was he doing wrong? Sollux was the best troll hacker there was in all of Alternia, and by no means was this a difficult code. Ever since the game had been won, he had been cooped up in his hive working with what he loved best; computers. It had been so long since he got to tinker around with them and hack into their systems. He figured he was a little rusty, but this? This was utterly shameful.

The Gemini troll pushed on the table before him lightly and his chair rolled back. Running a hand through his spiked black hair, avoiding his four horns, Sollux shook his head. Maybe he just couldn't focus at the moment. It was true that the game was won, but the trolls that had died in it did not return. Among those dead had been Aradia and Feferi. Sollux only got lucky due to his dual lives. Nonetheless, he hated that he lived and not them. Aradia and Feferi… he believed the two shared red feelings for him. He admittedly felt the same, but both died protecting him. The burden weighed on him many times, especially when he slept and saw them in dream bubbles. They said it was fine, they were content, but when he woke up, nothing changed. His lusus was dead too, all his fault as well. Damn Mind Honey…. but it tasted so fucking divine.

Sollux stared at the computer, his dual colored eyes narrowing on it almost angrily beneath his matching shades. His eyes sparked lightly suddenly, and he closed them quickly to tame his psychic powers. Being a Gemini had its disadvantages. Besides finding it necessary to have things in two's, possessing vision twofold, and having an overbite consisting of four sharp fangs, Sollux had to admit he could be a little bipolar at times, and the game didn't help any of his rather unstable emotions. He could go from content to aggravated and melancholy in a matter of seconds. He stood from his chair with a heavy groan, deciding that a long walk was needed to think more on the code. Slipping on his black and white shoes, Sollux began to levitate off the ground, using his psionics flawlessly. His hand reached out to open his door when he stopped suddenly his muscles tightening against his will. Often he hated his powers; he could hear the voices of the dead or see visions of a normal or doomed future. His role as the Mage of Doom was a tolling one. The voices in his head shrieked and he dropped to the ground weakly, holding his head with a pained grunt. His eyes sparked in irritation, blue and red bolts shooting outwards from them wildly.

"Fuck… stupid… voices…" Sollux groaned, as the voices began to die away. He let his thoughts gather slowly before continuing toward his ideal walk outside. Now he was a little irritated though, those damn thoughts had him in a pinch of agitation in knowledge. Once again the world would be destroyed, lives would be lost, his life would end at the hand of darkness. That one was new actually. Darkness had not been stated in his ways of dying. Sollux wasn't one to ignore the voices, the last time they mentioned death, they were spot on. He grimaced and clicked his tongue. Something must have been coming, and soon. Sollux found himself levitating again and he floated into the sky far above his hive. A sudden chilling shiver came over him.

 _What the hell?_ Sollux jolted at an uncomfortable involuntary shudder, drawing his gaze to the sky and squinting incredulously. He was getting a bad feeling, and his bad feelings were always on point. The skies were clear on this cool night, the stars in grand view as they sparkled above. As much as Sollux would have appreciated the glow of the stars, he couldn't take his eyes off of a lone moving star. It certainly wasn't a shooting star, and stars didn't typically glow red and blue when they burned up. Whatever it was, it was hurtling toward his planet near his home. As long as it didn't crash in his hive, he would be fine with the stray falling star. It was coming closer, catching on fire as it entered the atmosphere. Sollux watched as it crashed to the ground at least a mile away from his hive.

"This had better be worth seeing…" He grumbled lightly, choosing not to ignore his odd feelings. "I just wanted to go on a fucking walk… and now this is going on."

Slightly aggravated, but letting his curiosity take him forward, Sollux flew toward the crash sight, his heart wrenching a little. Aradia would have been excited to see this… it was basically a new discovery, whatever it was. She always did like new discoveries… Sollux shook his head to clear his thoughts, flying a little faster. He landed at the edge of the newly formed crater, gazing into it as the smoke slowly dissipated away. Small flames flickered about, so he used his psionics to extinguish them with a clench of his hand to pass some time. Some smoke lingered, still enough to block what he was trying to see. Sollux grew impatient, sliding down the crater side and saying a small prayer that it wasn't an imp or some massive tooth beast ready to fight him. He had forgotten to grab his throwing stars in his hasty leave, but nonetheless his psionics were far more deadly anyway. As he reached the bottom, Sollux concentrated his powers, surrounding his hands in red and blue lights. His eyes flickered in use behind his shades, and he inched closer to the heap before him. Black… he saw black.

A shirt? Tattered and clad to a thin body, the chest area protruding outward… oh. Sollux relaxed his powers at once as he recognized his Gemini symbol on the shirt, leaning forward to investigate further. She was clearly a girl from her noticeable breasts and small form. Her body was battered and burned, her pants torn like her shirt. Sollux shifted down, closer to the female troll and reached out a hand to her face for a better look. She was… beautiful to say the least, her skin laced with cuts and burns. More interestingly to Sollux, however, was the color of her blood. It wasn't the same as his, a yellow of low blood status, but red. Only humans had red blood though, and Karkat who was a mutant blooded troll. Her Gemini symbol matched her blood color. Trolls usually had different colored blood, the colors represented on a rainbow.

"Damn…" Sollux looked over her again, unsure if she was alive or not. "Hey, can you hear me? Talk to me, come on."

There was no response from the girl, but Sollux refused to leave her in the crater. Carefully, he looped his arms under her, pulling her close to him as he floated out, unable to tear his gaze away from her face. What had happened to her? How did she end up crashing on his planet? Sollux wanted answers, but in her current state he couldn't expect much. She seemed to still be alive somehow, and that was enough for the Gemini troll to take her back to his hive to try and help her. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and felt fascinated that she too was a Gemini like him.

Inside his hive, Sollux gently laid her on his bed and proceeded to patch up some of her more severe wounds. He certainly wasn't a medic by any means, but he knew how to treat some injuries. The girl did not move a muscle or speak a word the entire time and once Sollux felt he had done all he could, he stared at her a moment longer. Who was she…? If he was still in the game, Sollux would have simply kissed her to bring her back, but the game was over and anymore it would seem like molestation. Sollux snorted softly, his eyes lingering over her for a second before he decided to get some rest for the night.

Maybe she would be awake in the morning… and shed some light on the current situation she was in.

Sollux was by no means not a gentlemen. He slept in a different room that night just in case the girl did wake up. He didn't feel like waking up to pointless screaming just because he was in the same room with her. Stretching out, the Gemini troll slipped on his red and blue shades, sauntering to his room where the girl rested. Except… the girl wasn't on his bed.

Sollux pinched the bridge of his nose, "Well shit, where is she? I help her out, and she goes and does this even-"

"Who are you!?"

Sollux perked at the voice of a timid female. The troll girl stood pressed against the wall, her hands flat against it as a sign of fear and unwillingness to fight. But Sollux couldn't believe that her eyes… were exactly like his. Red and blue, just the opposite of which eye was which. Did she have psionics too? Sollux was about to speak, but he paused. She was trembling violently, her legs quivered weakly under her. It was clear that she should not have been up and moving due to her condition, but being in a place she dd not recognize was distressing enough. Sollux knew he needed to calm her and gain her trust.

"It's okay… Im not here to hurt you." He reassured softly, holding his hands up. "I found you yesterday, and you were unconscious, so I brought you to my hive."

The girl stared at him with wide eyes, but she noticeably eased up slightly at his calm voice. At once, however, she tensed at a buzzing sound, her head twisting in the direction of a beehive near Sollux's desk. Bees fluttered around the hive, irritated at unstable power in the air. Sollux figured the girl was unknowingly giving off a power in her state of stress. How weird, he thought, he must seem for having a beehive in his room. He loved honey though, and he loved bees. They listened to him anyway. To try calming the girl, Sollux snapped his fingers and the bees fell asleep in an instant. The troll female gasped softly, returning her fear filled gaze back to him. She was becoming more uncomfortable. Sollux realized that sparks were flickering from her eyes.

So she did have psionics… a wrong move and she could become very deadly with her powers. Sollux swallowed nervously, taking a careful step forward.

"Hey… I promise that you're okay." He said gently. "I know you're scared, but… I won't hurt you." When she said nothing, he took another step forward, continuing, "I just… wanna know who you are, and where you came from. You're hurt pretty badly right now, and you're straining your body being up like this."

The girl wavered a little, like her legs nearly gave out on cue to Sollux's words. She whimpered softly when he took another step closer to her.

"Can I ask your name?" Sollux requested. "Im Sollux. Sollux Captor."

She seemed to understand that he had a lisp, as he faintly heard her whisper his name correctly. Her eyes lowered to the ground, and her lips parted like she was going to speak. Sollux stopped where he was, lowering his hands as he waited to hear what she had to say. She was shaking so hard… she looked like she would collapse soon. He placed his palm to his side and focused his psionics into his hand in case she did, so he could catch her with the psionics. The girl was breathing rather hard too, and now that Sollux was closer to her, he could see pure confusion in her eyes. There was something definitely wrong with her, and it wasn't just the wounds she received somehow.

"M-My name…" The girl said just where Sollux could hear her. He perked in an instant, straining to hear her clearly. "My name is… S-Saruna…" Her eyes woefully met his again, but she seemed more… relaxed. "Saruna… Kerida."

Sollux nearly sighed in relief, but only felt his breath hitch when Saruna's legs gave out from beneath her. She clenched her eyes shut from the pain she felt, but cracked them open upon feeling herself sink into the soft bed again. Blue and red light waves surrounded her, carrying her to the destination. Sollux had managed to catch her fast enough. She glanced at his hand that glowed softly of the same color. Her lips parted to speak again, but closed in a clash of her fangs as she gripped her head with a shriek. Sollux released her, worried he caused her head pain, but as it continued, he wondered if she suffered the same voices in her head as he did in his. He wanted to help, but he didn't know if it was okay to touch her. Having psionics herself, she could panic and throw him into a wall in a frenzy.

Yet… she didn't seem like that. Her timid exterior confirmed a shy, frightened attitude. Sollux cautiously moved to the end of his bed, just barely out of Saruna's reach. He could remember a time that the voices in his head had him completely petrified and in pain, but a gentle question from an Aries girl snapped him out of it. Aradia could always relate to him, as she had psychic powers herself, and she could almost always soothe him with just her voice. Perhaps he could do the same for her.

"They wont hurt you." He said confidently.

The results were stunning and quite immediate. Saruna stopped whining and her eyes opened in a snap as she lifted her gaze in confusion at Sollux, her hands lowering from her head slowly.

"Wh-what…?" She meekly asked. "How… did you hear them?"

Did she not yet realize that he was almost exactly like her? Her fear was so immense, she was still too oblivious to the obvious. Sollux smiled lightly, lifting his hand to his shades and removing them from his eyes. At this, Saruna acknowledged him much differently.

"You and I… we are kind of the same." Sollux explained. "I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but you have my abilities, my eyes, and my symbol. That is why I need you to calm down and try to tell me everything that's going on. Im just as confused as you are, and I want answers that only you can give me. So please tell me, Saruna, what the hell is going on here?"

Saruna listened to him, but her gaze dropped slowly, sorrow filling her expression. Sollux nearly face palmed in defeat, thinking he did something wrong and shouldn't continue trying until she was recovered, but as he stared at her seconds longer, she began to shake her head. Then she began to cry.

 _Ah fuck, what did I say wrong?_ Sollux reprimanded to himself. _I cant handle this crying shit very well…_ "I… Im sorry." Saruna apologized suddenly, bringing her hands up to her face to cover the red tears streaking down her face. "I cant help you…"

Sollux sighed at this, "And why can't you?" Perhaps he was being harsher than he should have been, but this girl was being highly difficult for his tastes. She was injured, so that meant someone somewhere had harmed her, and was probably still loose searching for her. Sollux wanted some kind of warning in case an enraged super being came on his planet and tried to wreck havoc upon it. The hell if he would let that happen anyway.

"I…" Saruna shuddered and Sollux gazed at her expectantly. He certainly didn't expect her to tell him, "I can't remember… anything."


	3. Chapter 2: A New Danger

**Hey Guys! I just wanted to say thanks for checking out my story! Now mind you, it has its own story plot so it doesn't really follow Homestuck, but there will likely be mentioning of events from it! And this is exactly why I say I do not own Homestuck (Though wouldn't it be cool if... no nevermind) Anyway I hope you can enjoy the story some more! I will try to update as often as I can! Now here is the next chapter.**

Chapter 2: A New Danger

Sollux, with both hands running through his hair now, was utterly stupefied. He felt like a complete asshole now that he knew that Saruna had extreme amnesia. She could remember nothing except her name. She had not even been aware that she had psionics or dual colored eyes like Sollux until he allowed her to use the bathroom and she saw herself in the mirror. Before she could become frantic again, Sollux insisted that she get more rest for her injuries and when she would awake he would tell her where she was and how he found her. Saruna agreed, though she was clearly dazed and would not get very much rest in her current mood, so Sollux waited for her to get comfortable before silently hovering over her and placing two fingers to her head. She barely had time to register his presence before his psionics activated and sent her into a restful sleep. Now Sollux was at a loss. He had no idea what to do for her. She was a lost babe in the woods with a hungry wolf possibly chasing her, and she had completely forgotten about her abilities leaving her helpless and weak. He needed some advice, but his computer was in his room where Saruna slept. He didn't want to risk waking her up, nor did he want to awaken his bees again for a while.

 _Jegus this has been a crazy day._ Sollux sighed to himself. _I don't know how to help that girl. I could maybe pester KK what to do, but he would probably just end up flipping out in the end. I want to help her, but… she's so terrified and meek that I feel like Im just gonna scare her more._

Sollux growled to himself, feeling just as worthless as Saruna must have. His emotional distress made his eyes spark again, and he found it a little more difficult to tame his psionics this time. This wasn't good, if he was becoming equally distressed as Saruna, it wouldn't end well for the both of them. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and let his hands fall from his head landing in his lap. Damn this was stressful, and holy crap, why was he so tired? All of the stress really was getting to him even within a matter of a few hours. Maybe if he just… rested his head for a short minute… then… he would feel better.

Of course, that was his hope. Sleep took over the moment his head hit the floor and he could have swore it was some of the best sleep he ever had in his life. There were no voices, no screams of a dead future, just blissful sleep. He wasn't sure how long he slept, all he knew was he woke up to darkness in the hive. Hell, he had slept the day away. Sollux pushed himself to his feet, yawning louder than he expected himself to. For a moment he was disorientated, confused as to why he was on the floor, and not in his bed. His moment of disorientation turned into remembrance and he slumped over moodily. _Right, that wasn't a dream, it's real…_ Sollux moped somewhat bitterly and rather childishly. _That girl… Saruna was her name? I should go check up on her._

The Gemini troll strolled casually into his room, where he found Saruna awake, sitting on his bed still and staring at her hands blankly. Upon his entrance, she jumped slightly, her dual colored eyes sparking from the surprise. She watched him warily as he approached her, but she seemed calmer than before.

"Hey, how do you feel?" Sollux inquired, crossing his arms and standing cooly before her. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Im okay," Saruna spoke up. Sollux was pleased to hear her talking less timidly than she had been. "I managed to rest… and I feel better."

The yellow blooded troll nodded, "That's good to hear. It looks like some of your wounds have healed up quite a bit too. Can you stand?"

Saruna bit her lower lip, but she shifted as though she was going to test her abilities. Sollux couldn't help but feel surprised at her willingness to move about. He underestimated her, judging her from first greetings. To be on the same side, he focused his psionics into his hand, prepared to catch her should she collapse from her own weight. Saruna shakily rose onto her feet, steadying herself with the bed. Encouraged by her ability to stand, she took a step forward, then another. Sollux cringed when she wobbled and muttered hastily at her when she stumbled. Otherwise, she passed with flying colors, finally able to move about. She looked at Sollux, smiling brightly at her achievement, and the Gemini troll felt his eyes spark at the sincerity of her smile.

"Thank Jegus that I can walk again." Saruna beamed. "But… I have to thank you, for saving my life and bringing me back into health." She bowed in thanks, and Sollux rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"Cut that crap out…" He grumbled, though he seemed to appreciate her gratefulness. "I would have been an ass if I just left you to die. But it sucks that you can't remember anything that happened to you."

Saruna's expression became crestfallen at his mentioning of her amnesia and immediately Sollux felt like a complete douche for even reminding her of lost memories. He relaxed his psionics and apologized to her, patronizing himself for even bringing it up again. The look she gave him was curious and empathetic, and to his discombobulation, she smiled. Even in her most low point in life, even when she was with a stranger troll like him, even when she had no memory of anything but her name, she was smiling at him. Smiling at his stupefied gaze and stuttering apologies for bringing up something so terrible and triggering to her. Sollux knew his mouth was slightly agape and he was staring incredulously at her, but he couldn't remove his gaze from the strangely optimistic Gemini female. She was… so damn captivating, spellbinding, so… enthralling.

Sollux forced himself to move, jolting himself with his psionics lightly, "So, I figured I should tell you where you are and how I found you. Though you don't… know about anything, it is still useful information."

Saruna nodded in agreement at his idea, and he motioned that she should sit. It was going to take a while to explain everything to her, so he figured she may as well be comfortable too. He plopped down in his rolling chair and proceeded to tell her all he could; the planet she was currently on, the Land of Brains and Fire, which was his residing home. He explained his hive to her, the structure of it and where everything was in it. She learned about his bees, how they alerted him in 'beenary' codes and made Mind Honey. He warned her strictly to not eat it, or consequences would ensue for both of them, explaining his personal experience with it. Saruna promised not to go near it for both her sake and Sollux's sake. Sollux even told her a little about himself, his love for programming and hacking computers, his deceased lusus, the game he was trapped in with his friends for a very long time.

And Saruna listened to everything he had to say, absorbing the information like a sponge. Needless to say she had a lot of room to take information in. Once he reached the part where he found her in the crater, Saruna seemed to pay closer attention to every detail he could give her. They weren't significant, but she was able to comprehend that she was clearly not from this world.

When Sollux was finished hours later, he took in a deep breath and rubbed his forehead tiredly. Saruna had to take a moment to process everything she was told, but she eventually nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for telling me all of this." She said. "I know a lot more now, and I know a little bit about you too. I wish I could reciprocate the information, but Im afraid I can't…"

"That's okay." Sollux waved off her concern flippantly. "I know that you can't so it's fine. Don't worry about it so much."

Saruna nodded in thanks, "Say… you said I'm like you right? I mean, our eyes are the same and we have the same Gemini symbol. D-Do I have magic powers like you too?"

Sollux chuckled lowly, holding up his hand and willing his psionics into his palm. The blue and red light waves sparked and floated just above his skin. Saruna stared in awe at the pure energy levitating in his palm, completely under his control. He turned his hand over and it stayed where it was, now residing on the back of his hand.

"You mean psionics?" He smirked. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you have it too, otherwise you wouldn't have riled up my bees. You must have forgotten that you had this power, though you are actually controlling it pretty good right now. If you want, I could try to teach you how to use it at your beneficial will. It's too dangerous having them with no knowledge on how to tame it, otherwise you could go apeshit crazy."

Saruna noticeably gulped, but she resolved that it would help her a lot, "I would like it if you could teach me when you have time. I have already stolen so much of your time, I am truly sorry about that."

"Don't apologize over something so fucking stupid." Sollux scoffed, turning his hand over again and clenching a fist over his psionic. "There's nothing exciting going on in my life right now anyways, so stop thinking you're a burden here. I'll teach you how to use your powers some time tomorrow, but right now you need to get some more sleep. First though, let me re-patch up some of those cuts on you… well, if you don't mind that is. I mean, I don't wanna come off as some pervert trying to touch you."

Saruna appeared flustered, her eyes flickering lightly as she looked over herself for what felt like the first time. Her dual colored eyes occupied her attention when she had a mirror to look in, so she hadn't exactly noticed the state her body and clothes were in. Finally realizing how torn her clothes were, exposing portions of her skin not meant to be viewed by trolls met just a day ago, Saruna's cheeks burned a dark red and she scrambled backwards, pulling the bed covers over her in a panic. Sollux's eyes were wide under his shades, worried that he upset her due to the wicked sparks her eyes gave off in her moment of flustered panic.

"Shit, sorry, sorry!" He profusely apologized. "I won't do that then, but you have to take care of those cuts."

Saruna shyly acknowledged him, "N-no it's okay. I just… my clothes are all torn and you could see my skin and-"

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't look at your body." Sollux tried to reassure. "I'm sure you're cute, but I promise I didn't look."

For a split second, he thought she looked offended at him for actually _not_ looking at her body, but the expression died away and she relaxed again, the sparks in her eyes dissipating along with her odd expression. Sollux stood from his chair, moving to a different door in the room slightly ajar, and he opened it to a few pairs of clothes. Except, all the shirts were the same as the one he was wearing now, and all the pants were black just like he was wearing. He pulled out a pair with his telekinetic ability, sending them to Saruna casually.

"They might be a little big on you, but it's better than what you are currently wearing." He stated, looking out the nearest window as though he was avoiding eye contact for her sake. "But… I don't have any of your…" He had to clear his throat before he continued, " _other_ needs. You can use the shower to clean up some, and wash your wounds, then you should get more sleep. I will be in the other room if you need anything."

Saruna muttered a 'thanks' and grabbed the clothes given to her, scampering into the bathroom. Gog did she need one, but it was difficult to enjoy when every wound on her body burned upon contact with water. The shower was short lived, and Saruna realized just what Sollux meant by _other needs._ She took it on herself to wash her clothes and hang them to dry, then as Sollux requested, patched up her wounds again.

Luckily Sollux's shirt was long on her, draping past her essential areas. She would put his pants on when her underwear dried in the morning. Tip toeing back to her designated room, Saruna felt her cheeks burning darkly in worry that Sollux would see her like this, but he was in the other room she realized with his computer, typing wildly. She bit her lower lip, slowing her movements past the door, then bounding into her current room. Saruna sighed in relief when she felt safe, prepared to sleep when a sharp pain shot through her body, specifically in her chest. Her breath hitched as her hand grasped the thin layer of cloth covering her chest. As suddenly as the pain began, however, it vanished. The female Gemini troll loosened her grip on the shirt, taking deep breaths and wondering what the sharp sudden pain was. She didn't want to bother Sollux, especially wearing just a shirt, so she climbed into the bed, burying herself under the covers, and allowing her mind to go blank.

Saruna admitted that it was wonderful to be outside again after being cooped up in a room for the past few days. The sun shone brightly in the sky, warming her skin the moment she stepped out the door and moved further out into a vast grassy field with Sollux at her side. Both of them were trying extremely hard not to think about what had happened that morning.

The moment Saruna woke up, she made a mad dash to grab her assets from the bathroom in hope that Sollux was not awake yet. Unfortunately, the troll _was_ awake, and he was barely turning the corner out of his spare room where they collided. The rest was relatively explainable, and it resulted in utter awkwardness for a good portion of the morning. Sollux tried breaking the awkward silence between them by offering to teach her how to use psionics outside in the field. Saruna reluctantly agreed, wishing to break the building silence between them and put the accident behind them in the past. She was hopelessly embarrassed, and Sollux was desperate to forget what he saw. Sometimes vision twofold had its disadvantages.

Saruna inhaled the fresh air around her and found herself smiling. Sollux broke the ice once again, saying she looked nice in his clothes, and that earned him a soft, flustered giggle. They reached the top of a hill, and she noticed the ground was rather shaken up already; dirt and grass kicked up from scuffles or… even practice? She guessed Sollux had gone there to practice and train by himself for many years.

"Alright, where do we start…?" contemplated Sollux, shifting his shades in thought. "Well shit, I can't say I have ever taught someone else how to do this. It is typically tamed by yourself as you grow up and learn how to use it, there isn't an explanation behind it. This is going to take a while, sorry."

"Don't rush yourself," Saruna concerned. "I'm sure we will figure this out slowly, I expected it to take some time. Psionics sounds really hard anyway, so I am grateful enough that you even offered to help me with this."

"I thought I told you to cut out that 'thanks' crap, it's really nothing." Sollux grumbled, but a smirk informed her he still appreciated the gratitude she gave him. "Hmm… Well I guess we should start simple, like focusing the energy somewhere. I find the easiest spot the be the hands, but that's my opinion. Now, I don't know how to explain to you how to do it, but you… just feel it I guess? You feel the energy flowing through your veins, concentrating in one specific spot and… Jegus, fuck, this is hard to explain, so I will just give you an example. I'm pretty sure you have seen this before, but it's the only thing I can think of."

Saruna moved closer to him as he held out his right hand. She noted the sparks that began to light up his eyes when he began to concentrate due to the firm gaze he held on his hand. Soon a red light emitted from his hand, glowing brightly and powerfully. Saruna could feel the power behind his psychic ability, but she admired the beauty of it, floating effortlessly in his palm. She hoped the same could be said for her.

"That's about it really, but coming from me it sounds easy." Sollux sighed. "It could take you some time for all we know, or you could end up being a natural at it. Now, you give it a try."

He lowered his hand, his psionics disappearing in his movement and stepped away. Saruna felt unconfident, but she lifted her hand anyway and stared at her palm. Her powers would work, she just had to focus. Focus… focus… focus…! Her eyes sparked in violent strain suddenly, and she yelped in pain, gripping her head and closing her eyes.

"Ah shit, are you okay?" Sollux concerned, hitting his forehead lightly. "I knew I should have stopped you sooner, I could feel something was off. Fuck, I'm so stupid!"

"Don't say that," Saruna snapped at him. "It's not your fault, I tried too hard. You were more calm and relaxed than I was, so I paid the price for it."

Sollux's lips thinned out and he dropped his gaze to the ground. He looked as though he was punishing himself, but Saruna didn't know why. It wasn't his fault that she strained herself rather than properly focusing. She bit her lower lip miserably, then shook her head. Giving up wasn't an option, she needed to redeem her powers if she ever wanted to be of use. Holding her hand out again, she took a deep breath and Sollux jumped with surprise and worry at her further attempts. He didn't want her to over work herself in the state she was in. Considering that she had strained herself already, he was uncertain if he should let her continue. His uncertainty was justified as Saruna's eyes began to wildly spark again.

"Stop!" Sollux blocked her attempts with telekinesis, freezing her body completely with just a fierce glare to focus his psionics onto her. "You're gonna hurt yourself again and again at this rate. You need to relax, your body isn't completely recovered yet. We can work on this another day, but right now is a mistake, so we are sto-" Sollux paused, confusion flickering over his expression. He grimaced in an instant, gritting his teeth. Saruna watched him nervously, unable to move her own body in his control but able to speak.

"Sollux, let go, I promise I'll stop." She pleaded.

"There's something inside of you." growled Sollux, and she tensed, petrified. "It's not beneficial to you, it's slowly destroying you from the inside."

Saruna whimpered, her heart racing and her eyes threateningly sparking. She shut them, not wanting to possibly hurt Sollux if it went out of control from her instability in emotions. Was whatever inside of her what caused the sudden sharp pain that night?

"I'm going to get it out, so this will hurt a little." Sollux warned her, and she chirped out an okay for him. "I'm sorry. I'll be as quick as I can."

The pain was so sudden, so instantaneous, that Saruna could only scream. It felt as if everything within her was on fire, blazing through every nerve in her body. The tips of her fingers sparked intensely with untamable power, firing out in random directions. She thought she heard Sollux grunt in pain, probably struck by one of her unstable psionic shots. Tears streamed from her eyes, her throat burned from her sharp cries, when it all stopped. All the pain, the feelings of scorching fire, it was all gone. Saruna opened her eyes, grass tickling her cheek and nose. She didn't remember falling to the ground, but she remembered the pain and she recalled Sollux's injured growl. Her throat ached, and she coughed harshly.

"Shit!" His voice rang clear in her ears and she bolted back up in alarm, her eyes widening at the sight before her.

Sollux, with one arm out while the other held his shoulder, contained a black demonic cloud tight in his telekinesis, but it looked as if he was struggling to keep his hold. The strange being shrieked, thrashing in his hold ferociously, and Sollux's body began to tremble. Saruna, even from the side, could see the flurry of bolts zapping from his eyes beneath his shades.

"Get back Saruna!" He barked at her, removing his hand from his shoulder and forming a concentrated ball of power in his palm.

His hold on the strange being was weakening, Saruna could tell by the occasional waver his psionics gave each time the black matter thrashed. She stepped away, unable to believe that such a monster had been residing inside of her. Sollux threw his other arm out, a massive blue beam firing out from his palm and engulfing the black matter. A horrific wail sounded out from it, disintegrating into nothingness, and Sollux fell to his knees as the beam faded away, holding his head the moment he felt he was able to. His eyes continued to spark, and he held a severely pained expression.

"Sollux!" Saruna dashed to his side, her hand resting on his back. "Sollux, are you okay? What was that thing?" He didn't answer immediately, only managing to get himself to close his eyes so he could calm his psionics sooner. Blue and red streaked down his cheeks, signs of straining his psionics over his limits to the point it mixed with his blood. Saruna was horrified to see him like this. She didn't know what to do to help him, or what the dark being was for that matter. She was about to ask Sollux if he was okay again, but the troll tiredly opened his now calm eyes and pushed himself to his feet without her aid. He couldn't stand straight, and his knees wobbled under his weight, but he didn't collapse again.

"Are you hurt Saruna?" Sollux glanced over her carefully, and she scoffed at his concern over her. He was the one hurt after all.

"I'm fine, but this isn't about me right now." Saruna sighed. "You've far worse wounds than me now, and you have strained yourself. We need to go back to your hive so you can rest." She finally saw the damage to his shoulder, a torn patch of cloth revealing a deep burn on his skin. Some of his blood leaked from open bits of the burn. Saruna could only feel guilt.

She had caused that injury, unable to tame her powers when Sollux was trying to take the dark being out of her.

"Hey, I'm okay." Sollux assured, but his voice was weak. "This is nothing compared to other shit I've been through. I'm tougher than I look you know."

Saruna wanted to believe him, but the blue and red tear streaks on his face made it difficult. She only nodded so he would stop lying to her about his health, and started off toward his hive, watching his every step in case he did crumple under his weight. Sollux chuckled after a few short minutes of walking, joking that she was acting like a lusus with her worry and motherly concern. Saruna shook her head at him, dissatisfied until he was back in his hive and sleeping on his own bed with a bandaged shoulder. Even then, she couldn't relax. She had to wonder about multiple concerning things.

What was that black matter, why was it inside of her, and just who was she?


	4. Chapter 3: The Enemy

Chapter 3: The Enemy

Sollux felt weak, weaker than he had ever felt. He was surrounded by darkness, the only light being the bright glow of his psionics emitting from his entire body. His eyes sparked curiously. The only times his psionics surrounded his body was if he was in an intense battle and had to over exert himself properly. Out of nowhere, he heard a low, dark chuckle, a violent shudder running down his spine. He gasped in pain, the voices in his head going insane, warning him in a jumbled incoherent mess that he was in danger, death awaited him, darkness threatened his life. Darkness… he heard that warning minutes before he found Saruna.

Speaking of which, where was she? Hell, where was he? He couldn't see shit besides himself. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Confused and frustrated, he tried again only to reach the same conclusion.

 _What the fuck, I can't talk! Well at least I have my thoughts._ Sollux grouched. _But…_ _Why does my body feel like it's been beaten by a thousand imps? Where did that laughing noise come from? Where the hell am I? Nothing is making any sense right now, I mean how the hell did I even get here?_

Sollux tried to move, but even that was taken from him. He was completely immobile, and swiftly becoming pissed off. The voices in his head were growing frantic, getting to the point that he was beginning to get a migraine and wanted to shut them up. Every few words he could catch however, had him at a loss. He heard something about trolls being dead, darkness consuming allies, friends battling to the death, and more about darkness. Sollux groaned, his body weakening further. Whether it was due to the rising migraine or something else he wasn't sure. He just knew he felt like shit now.

The ominous laughter echoed again and Sollux felt his heart pounding against his chest. Then, he heard his name, called out from somewhere in the darkness. He scanned what he could, freezing when he saw a red and blue pair of eyes staring in his direction. The blackness gave way in a cloudy phase, exactly like the form he had battled with. Alarmed, Sollux struggled to move, his body trapped as if psionics had him pinned. His name was repeated, but by different voices. He recognized those voices…

 _Karkat? Terezi?_ He knew the voices of his friends, and he knew Saruna's voice too. _Kanaya too? I hear you guys, but I can't see you._

 _"They're mine…"_

Sollux did not recognize the deep raspy voice that had spoken, but the black matter loomed over him, separating enough to show him his closest friends. His eyes widened once he saw them. They had no life in their eyes, and their skin was darker than normal, each holding their weapon of choice in their hand. All but Saruna, that was. Her gaze was downcast and distant, tears falling from her eyes. Sollux wanted to shout, he wanted to console her, but nothing would sound from his mouth as the massive dark being began to close around her. Karkat and the others seemed as though nothing was happening, but Sollux saw everything. He saw her writhe in agony as the black mist invaded her body, he saw it constrict her arms tightly, tearing her clothes and skin. When she screamed, Sollux wanted to forget everything. Her blood surrounded him in a flash of torn limbs, some dripping onto his clothes and skin. He wanted to scream, he wanted to destroy the dark being, he wanted his friends to acknowledge her death, return to their normal selves. However, they all smiled wickedly, approving her death, relishing in it. The sight sickened Sollux.

 _"What you have seen shall reign true."_

Sollux bared his teeth, his psionics flaring around him in his anger toward the voice of the darkness. He tried to speak, surprised when he found his voice, and snarled in anger, "Who the fuck are you!? Show your face you asshole!"

 _"My powers are unsurpassable now that I have been awakened after that long rest."_ The voice cackled. _"But it seems I did not give enough credibility to the Gemini girl. She has survived my attack, and that is intolerable."_

"Tell me who you are now, damn it!" Sollux thought he was going to explode he was so pissed off. His fists were tightly clenched, his eyes dangerously shooting sparks outward. He didn't give two shits if his body felt weak, he wanted to avenge Saruna. "Tell me!"

His body felt lighter, freed from whatever was keeping him back, and he shot into the air yelling in righteous fury. All the voices in his rang in alarm as he drew closer to his friends. Death, darkness, betrayal, doom, planets' destruction…

Erebus.

Erebus!

Erebus!

Sollux choked up mustard yellow blood, Karkat's sickle in his back, Terezi's dragon cane in his chest, and Kanaya's chainsaw buzzing over his head. His psionics began to fade from his body, his vision beginning to blur. He weakly looked up, unable to speak again, but now from the blood rising into his throat. As Kanaya lowered her chains onto his neck, laughter was all he could hear, echoing in the darkness that began to surround him infinitely. The darkness… who was named Erebus.


	5. Chapter 4: A Dream Become True

**Hey guys! I really don't have much of an update pattern going on here haha. I actually have quite a bit written already I just want to update bit by bit that I feel is okay? I guess? Meh. I don't know if people even like the story buuuuut, I want to still put it up, face my slight fears. Well, enjoy the next chapter! ...I still don't own Homestuck.**

Chapter 4: A Dream become True

Sollux's eyes shot open and he jolted into a sitting position with a sharp inhale, panting shortly after. He frantically scanned his surroundings, eyeing his buzzing bees and his scattered throwing stars. It was… only a nightmare. His tense shoulders relaxed, and he knuckled his forehead with a heavy sigh, massaging away a rising headache. He felt his heart, rapidly beating against his chest from being startled by his nightmare. Sollux hadn't had a nightmare like that in months, and he always found them unsettling. As the Mage of Doom, he had various ways of seeing present or future timelines, or receiving warnings of something evil approaching him in the near future. This nightmare concerned him greatly, however, because his friends were included in it, and the strange black monster had a grand part in it too. Not to mention Saruna was murdered before his eyes, and his friends killed him with no restraint on their part.

Sollux thoughtfully pondered his dream, running the details through his mind repeatedly. The voices he typically heard had mentioned many things, and one of them had been a name.

"Erebus…" A bitter taste filled his mouth when he said it aloud, and he was now certain that the black matter he had drawn out of Saruna was a part of the whole. His killing of the small being had reawakened the entire monster. He didn't exactly regret it, Saruna was being killed from the inside out by it. A part of him wondered then, if Erebus was the reason for Saruna's amnesia. The words spoken by Erebus were well remembered: _"But it seems I did not give enough credibility to the Gemini girl. She has survived my attack, and that is intolerable."_

Sollux clicked his tongue in distress. It would have certainly explained a lot, but he could not be certain. For all he knew, it _was_ just a nightmare, but there was still the paranoia of it in the back of his mind. The whole dream in itself was unsettling; he would have to listen to the voices in his head the next time they invaded. They could determine if it was worth distressing about. The Gemini troll ran a hand through his hair, stared out his window, and noticed that the sun was only beginning to rise to confirm morning. His eyes gave off a flicker of confusion and he squinted, concluding to himself that he had seen something in the distance on the hills. He grunted under his breath, climbing out of his bed to get a better look. There was definitely someone out there, laying on the hill rather still. Sollux grabbed his shades hastily, sauntering out of his room. It was then he finally woke up completely.

The only people on his planet was himself and Saruna.

"Don't tell me…" Sollux halted in his tracks, frowning. "Ah shit! She had better not be out there practicing!" He called out for her, and when she didn't answer him within five seconds, Sollux was making a mad dash to the outside, cursing at her stupidity for going out there by herself and trying to practice her psionics. When running wasn't fast enough, Sollux took flight, rushing out the door and to the hills where he found Saruna laying on her back unmoving. Just as he feared, red and blue streaked down her cheeks.

"Damn it Saruna!" Sollux dropped to her side, pulling her into his arms and shaking her. "What the fuck were you thinking!? You had better not be dead or I swear..!"

Saruna's face contorted in discomfort and she softly moaned, her eyes fluttering open. She tiredly glanced at Sollux, her features relaxing again. It almost looked like she had just been rudely woken up.

"Sollux…?" She questioningly chirped.

"Holy shit, don't scare me like that!" Sollux growled at her. "I thought you were dead! What the fuck are you doing out here by yourself? I told you we would practice another day when you were recovered!"

Saruna's lips curved into a gentle smile, "I know, I'm sorry, but I couldn't sleep last night so I just came out here to get some fresh air. I didn't mean to practice, but I felt so worthless after you took that strange black monster out of me and just… tried again. I must have fainted after I succeeded on the eleventh try."

"Eleventh!?" Sollux's eyes sparked in indignation, not acknowledging that Saruna had mentioned she was actually successful in her endeavor. "You could have killed yourself with this bullshit! Psionics isn't something to mess around with if you don't know how to control it without hurting yourself in the process. Jegus, please, don't do this again."

Saruna was astounded by the trepidation in his voice and she felt terrible for making him worry so badly. He sighed suddenly, his head lowering in defeat, and muttering under his breath that it was his fault she practiced alone, because he showed signs of weakness against Erebus, thus making her feel worthless and going out to strain herself. The tables had turned so instantly that Saruna didn't know what to think. One moment he was pissed off at her, scolding her for being stubborn and risky, and the next he was blaming himself for her decision. Saruna felt even worse now, and she realized his hold on her was becoming tighter, like he refused to let her go, or was scared. Sollux shook his head, then rose to his feet without letting her go, saying something about having bad luck with girls and losing cherished friends. He appeared to be suffering with sorrowful memories. Saruna felt it was her responsibility to bring him back to jubilation.

"Sollux, I did manage to focus my psionics correctly." She said, trying to be cheerful though her body was honestly weak. "And I'm okay, I'm awake and talking to you. We should be happy, _you_ should be happy. Happy for me at least!"

Sollux frowned at her, displeased with her attempts at making him feel happy again. She refused to let him stay like this, wiping away the red and blue tear streaks on her face with the back of her hand.

"You know, you have only known me for a couple of days now." She remarked. "I'm not sure why you feel like this with someone you have barely met and, may I say, am a nuisance to your life currently."

At this, Sollux set her down and disapprovingly flicked her forehead. She yipped softly, pursing her lips at him, but was pleased to see the slightest smirk on his face. He sighed again, something flashing over his eyes momentarily before he crossed his arms.

"You honestly think you're a nuisance? You have no idea what a nuisance is apparently." He scoffed. "Look, I don't mean to be rude or brutally ironic, but you don't know shit. What I see is a troll who really needs some help figuring things out. Her body was found half dead, her think pan is failing her and she is lost without a friend in the universe it seems. She had a fucking demonic being inside of her that was slowly killing her again when she was beginning to recover. Her abilities have been forgotten, leaving her as capable as a grub just a sweep old. She insists that she is a nuisance, when, trust me when I say this, she isn't. I find her interesting, and I want to help her out, and maybe someday have her meet my friends. Just because she thinks she can't do anything doesn't mean she should feel so fucking pathetic. It's bad enough I have mood swings, but I can't help it. I think it's a curse really, all this fucking bipolar crap, but that's not the point right now.

"Saruna, you aren't a nuisance to me, you keep me relatively busy and give me some company in my isolated life here. Sure, I got a little tired after that short scuffle with that thing, but by no means should it compel you to come out here alone and possibly damaged yourself or worse. My psionics are way stronger than yours are, and I have had a lifetime to perfect my use of it. I don't know about you, but I think it's only fair that I help you out over time and we will both get better at it."

Sollux smiled warmly and Saruna could have sworn it was the first time she saw him smile so genuinely. She smiled back at him, feeling much better than she ever had in her few days of new life. His smile was short lived though and he face palmed himself with a rather distasteful groan.

"Holy shit, I just sounded like KK on a ranting rampage."

Sollux and Saruna returned to the hive, where she inquired curiously about 'KK' and discovered some of his friends. He told her about Karkat, Terezi, and Kanaya, each having a completely different personality from each other. She learned about Karkat's foul mouthed, crabby attitude, though Sollux admitted he was a true friend to him despite their common bickering. Terezi was described as unique and cool, but sometimes a little weird, and Sollux had to explain her tasting and smelling quirks carefully to Saruna for her to understand the 'weird' portion. He chuckled at her quirked eyebrow once he clarified it, and confessed that he found her to be a good friend to him too, respecting her abilities. When it came to Kanaya, however, Sollux conceded that he didn't know her as well as he should have, but he commended her properness and motherly care despite being a rainbow drinker. She was considered an expert at giving advice and helping others when they needed it.

Saruna hoped she would get to meet them, excitement filling her heart at the knowledge of other trolls somewhere else. She took a seat on Sollux's bed, still uncertain as to what she could do in his hive. Sollux flopped into his rolling chair, sweeping across the floor in a single movement to the beehive where his bees fluttered about. They buzzed around his head and he silently watched them, listening to their coordinated codes. He nodded once, then rolled away to his computer on the desk, opening it and typing quickly. Saruna tilted her head at his actions, rising to her feet to look over his shoulder. Letters and numbers filled the screen, making absolutely no sense to her, but a decipherable code to Sollux. She was about to speak, when he perked up and faced her in a swivel of his chair.

"Hey you said you could focus your psionics into your palm right?" He asked randomly. "I think you said that, but I was a little too dense to hear it."

Saruna nodded, "Yes, my small practice paid off."

Sollux snorted, "Okay, and sent me into a fucking panic attack." He chuckled at her flustered expression before asking, "If you aren't too tired, would you show me the progress you've made?"

Saruna concurred, stepping back and holding out her hand. It took about a minute, but soon she had a flickering ball of red light in her palm that grew into a stable power source along with her glowing eyes. Sollux eyed it briefly, grunting with approval and impressed at her progress. She ceased her action, sighing somewhat tiredly; a sound Sollux did not miss. His eyes warily watched her and she smiled nervously.

"While it is better, you don't have it fully under control." He critiqued firmly. "You still have ways to go, but I admit, I'm surprised how quickly you got to this point. Of course," His eyes flickered, and he lifted his hand to show off a perfect psionic creation of blue. "When you get to this status, I will have confidence in your abilities."

Saruna huffed, muttering under her breath how much of a show off he could be. Sollux only smirked at her, spinning back around to his computer and letting out an intrigued sound of wonder. He typed quickly, clicking just as fast before the air around him staled darkly. At first Saruna thought he just had a thought that had triggered his bipolar mood again, but he suddenly slammed both hands on his desk, shooting up to his feet. His eyes sparked dangerously and he cursed loudly in pure distress. He ran his hands through his hair, and Saruna heard him mumble something about a nightmare being a true warning and his friends being in grave danger. This had to be more than a bipolar spasm of feelings.

"Sollux, is something wrong?" She asked pointlessly, fully aware that something was indeed very wrong. Sollux spun around to face her, grabbing her shoulders tight in his hands, earning a cringe. He fleetingly pitied her and lessened his grip, but he was still tormented by the current revelation he experienced.

"Listen closely, Saruna, because I don't have time to repeat this." He said hurriedly, and Saruna could hear a sense of fear in his voice. She listened as he explained the dream he had that night, explaining with as much detail as he possibly could in his rushed manner. He told her about Erebus and his theory that her amnesia was because of him, how she was killed by him in the dream, how his friends seemed controlled and ruthless, eliminating him when he tried to attack Erebus. Sollux described all of this in a matter of minutes and his voice was growing desperate the longer it went on. Around the end, his eyes were flaring.

"As the Mage of Doom I am both cursed and blessed to see things like this, and I feared that it was true. KK pestered me recently, and if I wasn't so fucking stupid I would have looked at it sooner! He said a black cloud was surrounding his planet, then he was saying that he was in trouble! That cloud thing is Erebus, and he will destroy this universe if he gets stronger. I have to go find KK, Terezi and Kanaya before they are taken over and made our enemies, just like my dream showed me. Whether or not I return is hard to determine, but-"

Saruna interrupted him immediately, "Return? I am going with you Sollux! If Erebus is as you say, I could possibly find my lost memories and figure out who I am."

Sollux noticeably cringed at her willingness to follow him, and he shook his head, "You aren't coming with me Saruna, it is going to be too dangerous, and you have no way to protect yourself right now."

"So your solution is to leave me here all by myself with even less protection?"

Jegus fuck she was right, and Sollux didn't want to admit how ridiculous he sounded right then. He didn't want to take her with him to treacherous areas, especially with Erebus basically in search of her to finish off what he started. She could not protect herself, and if there was ever a time that he himself was in a deadly situation, what would she do? There was no point if the both of them died in this quest to save his friends. It especially wasn't helpful that in the back of his mind he was simply afraid to take her. Aradia and Feferi were dead because he could not help them when they needed him. The glare she gave him told him he had no chance whatsoever of dissuading her from following him, so he sighed mournfully.

"Okay, but promise me you will be careful. We can encounter anything out there that is willing to slaughter us without a thought of remorse." The low blooded troll warned her. "If you can't control your psionics fast enough, you'll end up becoming a hindrance in the end. Are you willing to go through with that?"

Saruna flinched, swallowing her nerves back. She refused to be left behind, and she refused to let the only person she knew and trusted to go off alone when danger was imminent as was. "Yes, I am willing." The stare Sollux gave her tested her words, searching for a loop hole that he could pull out to prevent her from going, but she stood firm. He waited for less than a minute before his gaze wavered in defeat and he had to avoid her gaze to show his surrender. Gog did he hate losing, especially when he was desperately trying to protect another person.

"If this is your final decision, then let's go." Sollux grumbled. "We don't have time to waste." His steps were quick as he raced out the door and Saruna had to be faster in order to catch up with him. She wondered how they would get to another planet briskly in a satisfying time for Sollux. He sprinted down a hall and yanked open a door, entering and mumbling in chagrin while Saruna followed shortly behind. A small, circular metal pad attached to the ground greeted them and she felt even more discombobulated upon seeing it. Sollux took hold her wrist suddenly, pulling her towards the plate. She didn't fight him by any means, but without an explanation as to what it was, she grew uneasy. Sollux appeared to sense it as he stopped almost instantly and growled to himself for forgetting that she had no idea what it was.

"Sorry, I'm in such a rush that I neglected to tell you that we are going to transportalize to KK's planet." He said in a rushed tone. "Don't worry, it's safe and harmless, but I can't tell you if KK's transportalizer is in his hive. I think it's a little way's out of it actually."

Saruna merely nodded, and Sollux resumed tugging on her wrist until they were both standing on the transportalizer. There weren't any buttons to press, no computer voices asking where they wanted to go, but Saruna trusted whatever Sollux did, because in a flash of light, she was no longer within Sollux's hive in a scent of golden honey. Rather, she was alone in the darkness of another room, with Sollux no longer at her side.


	6. Chapter 5: Companions in Trouble

**Hey everyone! Enjoying summer break? I suppose I am, I have a job, it works me well. Often overtime, but oh well. BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME. Here is the next chapter after that bit of foreshadowing! I STILL don't own Homestuck, just so you know.**

Chapter 5: Companions in Trouble

The moment Sollux realized he was outside on an abandoned transportalizer, he cursed once for Karkat's lack of shutting it completely down. Once he discerned that Saruna was not at his side, he fired out multiple curses to Karkat, himself, and technology itself for not working this one time for him. It wasn't that Karkat was a dangerous person, nor that toothbeasts and imps could be roaming around. Rather it was the looming black cloud in the sky that made him extremely uncomfortable.

 _Could that be Erebus?_ Sollux tensed, his jaw clenching. It certainly looked like the darkness that had clouded his dreams. He didn't like it one bit. He needed to find Saruna, who was hopefully within Karkat's home on the correct transportalizer. Using his telekinesis, Sollux rose into the air and made his way to Karkat's hive. His hive was large Sollux admitted, as was every trolls. Saruna could have been anywhere inside, or at least that was his ideal prayer. As he flew, Sollux noticed the black cloud seemed to be coming closer, and he frowned. So it was Erebus. Had he done something to Karkat? The idea made Sollux shudder in discomfort, his dream flashing through his mind. Those lifeless stares his friends gave him; it was chilling to the bone.

No, Karkat was stronger than that. He would have put up a fight, surely, to protect himself. Yet, Sollux had to wonder, what could a sickle do to pure darkness? Shit, things were looking hopeless again. His body jerked suddenly as voices screamed in his head.

 _Not now!_ Sollux groaned in pain, losing control of his psionics and crashing to the ground. He rolled to an aching stop, desperately trying to stop the voices in his head.

Turn back, don't go inside, beware, wicked evil, possessed body…

Sollux's heart skipped a beat. That was the last thing he wanted to hear from his dead voices; someone was possessed and it was a pure corrupted possession of malice and hate. Now the problem was finding the possessed person without being ambushed, and making sure to find Saruna before she was found by them. Sollux forced himself onto his feet, massaging his temples in an attempt to stop his incoming migraine from the voices. If Karkat was possessed, he had to understand that he could not hesitate to fight back. While he had to refrain from killing Karkat though, Karkat would be coming at him without restrain. That also meant Saruna had no chance up against him in her current state of power. Sollux felt like he had the weight of the world suddenly on his shoulders, though such a thing was no surprise to him anymore. The main point of stress and worry was finding Saruna safe and sound.

Eventually the voices dwindled away, and Sollux could stably walk again. He decided to give his psionics a small break from use after that episode of frantic voices ruining his concentration. Entering Karkat's hive, he slowed his movements, his breathing following suit. Damn, this felt like a zombie apocalypse video game suddenly, except it was the boss level and the main character was Sollux without a weapon to use but his mind. He nearly chuckled at the idea, but the seriousness of the situation snapped him back into reality. Karkat's hive was a mess he realized, items scattered on the floor as if there had been a great struggle. The walls had claw marks drawing down them as if he fought to resist his body's control loss to Erebus. One of Karkat's sickles was lodged in a wall opposite of the claw marks, and Sollux paused to look at it. Red blood dripped from the scythe of the sickle.

The mutant blooded troll had been injured in the fight for his bodily control. How grave his wounds were Sollux didn't know, but the sight of the blood made him immediately uneasy and perturbed. He wasn't sure how Erebus fought being a cloud of darkness, unless there was something more to him that just a cloud. Swallowing back his nerves, Sollux pressed forward, carefully going up the stairs to the upper rooms. He hadn't heard a sound in the hive and that further boosted his paranoia. Where was Saruna? Where was Karkat? A light squish under his feet made Sollux's stomach churn. More blood of red color, like Karkat's. Unless… it was Saruna's? Her blood was red too. Reaching a break in his paranoia, Sollux grew alarmed and didn't give a shit if he was heard anymore.

"Saruna! Where are you?" His voice echoed throughout the home a few times, and he stopped to listen in case she yelled for him. His hopes were lifted when her voice replied to his, but simultaneously he was voice was frantic, terrified, begging for help.

It was as Sollux feared; Karkat had found her first. His eyes flared and he lifted himself into the air, rushing to the sound of her voice instantly. She screamed as he turned into Karkat's room, the Cancer signed troll looming over the girl with his sickle in hand, prepared to strike. Sollux acted fast, stopping the attack in mid air with a fierce glare and sending the sickle into the farthest wall. Saruna, upon noticing him, seemed only slightly relieved, but she yelped when Karkat spun around to face Sollux. Various wounds scattered over his body, revealing his previous struggle before he was lost in the darkness. His eyes were dull and his skin tone was darker than the normal grey of troll skin.

Sollux's nightmare had become a reality.

"Saruna, get out of here now!" Sollux demanded, flexing his hand to grab Karkat in his psionics and threw him into a wall to give her an escape route.

She gratefully took the chance when she had it, racing behind Sollux as he prepared to fight. He turned to check on her, but her scream alerted him that Karkat was already coming after him, sickle back in his hand. His eyes were those of a zombie, and the blank stare he gave Sollux sent shivers down his spine. He acted too slow to stop Karkat, but back stepped out of reach of a stab and took a slice to his arm. Yellow blood splattered on the ground and Saruna screeched in fear. Sollux threw Karkat back and shoved the panic-stricken troll female out the door, demanding she run. She must have been paralyzed with fear or reluctant to leave Sollux, because she stood frozen at the doorway. Sollux cursed at her, he didn't have time for her to be intimidated like this. Karkat was on him again, and he turned his attention entirely on his mind controlled friend, dodging the sickle and punching Karkat with a psionic bound fist. It sent the Cancer troll flying back, and Sollux assessed the slash on his left arm fleetingly. Gratefully the wound wasn't deep, but it did sting.

He jumped upon hearing Karkat rising to his feet, unfazed by any of his attacks it seemed. Sollux growled, his teeth clenching as he stepped forward, closing the distance.

"Come on KK, if you're still in there fight it!" He pleaded.

Karkat didn't give off any sign of hearing him, and he attacked once more, forcing Sollux to grab him in psionics again. He nearly regretted it the moment the hold was firm, as Karkat's eyes darkened and something went wild inside of Sollux. A feeling like electricity surged through his body and he howled in pain, releasing Karkat against his will.

"Sollux!" Saruna knew he had no chance at dodging or blocking the next attack and she found herself sprinting forward against his wishes. Her hand shot out as she reached his front, the sickle coming down swiftly. She wasn't sure how she did it, or why it happened, but a surge of red fired from her palm directly on Karkat and sending him into a wall. The power the attack was a shock to Sollux, but Saruna went limp afterwards, her energy drained dramatically. While she had somehow been able to use her psionics to attack, her lack of controlling it caused it to sap most of her energy.

Sollux had conflicting emotions about her using it; sure it might have just saved his life but his friend was still in that body somewhere, and the more damage he took, the less likely he would come out of the fight alive. With Saruna down for the count in her tired state, Sollux pulled her back with his psionics while he could. His body ached from the odd electric surge he felt when he grabbed Karkat in his telekinesis, but he recalled feeling that before, just with less power than this time.

 _That's right, I felt that small shock when I had Saruna in my psionics…_ Sollux blinked in remembrance. _But it was a lot lighter than this one is, so it is clearly way stronger this time. Erebus must have really pulled the strings on Karkat…_

He eyed Karkat as the troll wobbly stood up, his battered body finally taking effect. Scraps and cuts coated his body, some blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. Sollux knew he couldn't fight much longer at this rate, otherwise he would lose Karkat at his own hands. He needed to get the darkness out of him, like he did to Saruna, but how could he when he received painful shocks preventing him from doing so? Karkat grabbed his sickle again, limply standing in place, when he spoke out of nowhere. His voice was far deeper than that of what Sollux remembered to be the Cancer trolls voice.

" _This resistance is becoming a nuisance._ " The mind controlled Karkat growled. " _All I really want is the girl, she should not be alive. She is supposed to be dead just like the others of her planet."_

Sollux heard Saruna gasp in horror at the mentioning of 'her planet'. He feared as much, she was from a doomed and now non-existent planet.

"What the fuck do you want?" Sollux snarled. "Killing trolls? Massacring innocent planets? What do you hope to achieve with all of this, Erebus?"

Karkat, or rather Erebus, grew silent before chuckling briskly, " _I don't know how you figured out who I am, but that does not matter. My goal is to be the most powerful being in the galaxy, truly immortal as a God. Consuming planets and living creatures is only the start of it, when I am strong enough, I shall devour this galaxy!"_

"Not if I can stop you first, you son of a bitch." Sollux focused his power into his hands, setting them ablaze with blue and red. "You had better leave Saruna alone, and you also had best leave my friends and this galaxy alone or I swear I will come after you and stop you myself. Release my friend now."

" _How utterly pathetic._ " snorted Erebus. " _Just try and stop me, you weak mortal being. You'll only end up as the girl behind you; worthless without a single being that knows who you are. I will never stop, and you can't stop me-"_

Sollux had heard enough at this rate, irritated beyond belief anymore and the sparks dancing from his eyes going berserk. He may have been brash, but he charged at Erebus full on without any sense of protecting himself. No, he tackled Karkat's body, the both of them flying out of a window and falling to the ground far below. Saruna screamed the Gemini trolls' name, unable to do more than watch the two disappear from her sight in a flurry of broken glass and red and blue psionics. Her strength was still gone, she could barely bring herself to stand up and drag her feet to the stairs so she could reach Sollux. She begged her body to work with her, just this once if it had to be anytime, and somehow found herself on the first floor. Limply, she hastened to the door, stepping outside and witnessing Sollux and Karkat's body sprawled out on the ground feet away from each other. Sollux coughed, not rising to his feet to continue the fight, but Erebus, being in control to Karkat's wounded body forced him back onto his feet.

" _I will admit to you that you are one of the stronger beings that I have ever had to face._ " Erebus said darkly. " _Having you under my control would be quite an asset to my army._ "

Sollux pushed himself onto his elbows and Saruna dashed to his side in a poor attempt to help him, "Go fuck yourself… I'm not letting you take over my mind. You won't get anywhere near me." He winced lightly at the amount of psionics he had to tame, charged by his anger and by the power Erebus gave off. With the amount of damage to Karkat's body now becoming overwhelming, Sollux was reluctant to continue attacking. He needed to get Erebus out, and he needed help to do that. Trouble was, Saruna was his only choice, and she was tired from her sudden power boost. Nevertheless, she still couldn't control her psionics either.

Sollux groaned, pushing himself onto his knees with Saruna's feeble aid. Erebus glared at her silently, a stare that she was quick to return though it was submissive and quivering.

"Saruna, I told you to get the fuck out of here…" panted Sollux. "You're going to get in the way at this rate."

She winced at his honesty, but she refused to leave him alone against this monster, "I know, but I don't want to leave you alone."

"Don't worry about shit like that!" The Gemini troll barked at her. "I need you safe from him right now, he is trying to kill you! You can not protect yourself from him if he goes after you and I am unable to get to you fast enough!"

Erebus grinned at them, a vindictive filled toothy smile that made Sollux troubled the moment he saw it. The only reason he would grin like that was because he knew how to get to Sollux's mind. At once, Erebus grabbed Karkat's sickle and he charged specifically at Saruna. Her eyes grew wide, sparks flitting out from them as a sign of surprise and fear. Time became slow around them, as she stumbled back, cowering pathetically at the sight of death before her. Sollux was right; she was just getting in the way now, a weak target needing protection from every enemy.

Yet, the moment Erebus was only a foot away from her, Sollux bounded to his feet in a burst of adrenaline and he captured Erebus tight in his psionics. Red and blue surrounded Karkat's body, flashing brightly and in spasms of bursts of lightning. Sollux shouted, long and harshly, and Saruna feared the surging bolts shooting from his eyes, knocking off his shades. Erebus screamed in what sounded like blood curdling pain, and from Karkat's body a black cloud, completely similar to what had been pulled out of Saruna only a day before, seeped from Karkat's mouth.

Saruna could only watch as Karkat's body fell to the ground in a limp heap, while Sollux sustained part of Erebus within his psionics. Erebus thrashed about in the red and blue, but Sollux stood fast, his hand slowly clenching into a fist as though he was crushing Erebus. The dark matter fought back the entire time, however, and Sollux faltered heavily, his cries dying into a disgruntled mess of groans. Back and forth the fight went, sometimes Sollux appearing to prevail over Erebus momentarily before he seemed to be in a bind against the evil demon's power. There had to be a way to help him, there just _had_ to be something useful she could do!

Psionics! If she could just focus… she could use her power to help Sollux and finish the fight. She held out her arm, palm facing Erebus and she gritted her teeth trying to concentrate on enveloping Erebus in her telekinetic power too. Sollux needed her help, and she needed him to help her through her life. The dormant power within her flared and she gasped at the amount to energy pouring from her body. It was entirely a strain to every muscle in her body, demanding her full attention or she would surely have to pay a deadly price of overbearing her abilities. Erebus howled in agony as she somehow managed to focus her psionics around him too and together she and Sollux crushed him in their psychic powers, ears left to ring from the terrible shriek Erebus gave with his dying breath.

Gog it was over. They had succeeded in saving Karkat and keeping each other safe. Saruna was spent, however, her adrenaline achieved power draining her exponentially. Unlike before when she had practiced against Sollux's will, she had not strained herself to the point of crying red and blue. Her head began to pound with a small migraine and she tipped her fingers to her forehead gingerly, closing her eyes to tame her psionics simultaneously, but she was satisfied with their victory.

"Sollux, we did it, we beat Erebus…!" She rejoiced pleasantly. "We saved your friend too, we just have to-"

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard a soft thud of something falling to the ground. She reluctantly opened her eyes, and found Sollux unconscious on the ground, jolts of electricity sparking over his body in delicate spasms. Saruna scrambled to his side, tenderly touching his arm and receiving a light zap upon skin to skin contact. She searched his face and, as she dreaded, found smears of red and blue tears pooling to the ground from his closed eyes. Sollux had exerted himself too much.

Saruna would have mourned for him, but a sound of rolling thunder made her tremble. She glanced up at the sky for the first time since arriving to Karkat's planet, and finally saw the massive black cloud above the land. Erebus was not defeated, that had just been a small portion of him broken apart from the main body. This planet was no longer a safe place.

Saruna gazed over Sollux, then Karkat and had a slightly difficult idea. Sollux's planet was a safe haven, untouched by Erebus still. All she had to do was take their limp bodies to the transportalizer and get out of there before the entire planet was swallowed by blackness. Ignoring her weak muscles, she looped her arms under Sollux's armpits and dragged him to Karkat's hive, setting him down only to retrieve Karkat and pull him inside to keep him close by. She had to make sure she grabbed Sollux's shades, setting them over her eyes and grabbed Karkat's sickles too, just in case he needed his weapons in the future. In a few tiring trips, she reached the transportalizer that she arrived on, and tugged the two unconscious trolls onto it carefully. Since it wasn't very large, meant for a standing troll, Saruna worried that her idea would not work and they could all be separated. It had happened to her and Sollux the first time, who was to say it couldn't happen to the three of them?

Another loud roll of thunder boomed, and the hive shook at the force of this one. Saruna could only say a prayer as she held the two trolls close to her and imagined Sollux's hive as the light enveloped them in a sudden flash.


	7. Chapter 6: Explanation to Cancer

**Hello again! If there is anything I love writing, it is action scenes (and romance scenes), so I hope you all liked the last chapter! Ahem... thank you to everyone who has read my story so far! I really appreciate it! Reviews are also still appreciated, but as always I just hope you enjoy the story~ Enjoy! (Stiiiill don't own Homestuck)**

Chapter 6: Explanation to Cancer

Saruna whispered pleadingly that she was in the right place, and when the scent of honey struck her smelling senses, she knew that a divine being had helped her get to the safety and comfort of Sollux's hive. One by one, she dragged the two into Sollux's room, pulling them onto his bed and getting them into restful positions before retrieving Karkat's sickles and setting them at the bedside, Sollux's shades following suit. She questioned how she had managed to pull off such a task by herself in her weary state, but she was relieved to know everything was okay now. Exhausted as she was, Sollux and Karkat had many wounds that needed to be assessed and taken care of. Sleep was something she just couldn't afford at the moment, not when the troll who had been watching her from day one and his closest friend were bleeding on the bed.

Saruna grabbed the essential medical items in Sollux's bathroom and tended to the two injured trolls gently. She had to remove their shirts to reach chest and back wounds, more so on Karkat than Sollux. With everything calmer, Saruna was able to analyze Karkat a little closer now that he was an ally to her without his free will being stolen by Erebus. His blood was the same color as hers she realized as she cleaned him up and bandaged his deeper cuts. His black hair was spiked and ruffled, his bangs cascading over his forehead. The symbol of Cancer was in the middle of his shirt, but it was of grey color rather than his red blood color. Two nubby horns curved on his head, a feature Saruna found rather endearing on the supposedly crabby troll as Sollux had explained to her before. She noted how aggravated he looked even in his sleep, as though he had permanent frown lines as his expression. He really must have had a cantankerous attitude, Saruna simply did not want to believe the fact that a troll could really be grouchy all the time. It sounded dismal to her honestly.

She finished cleaning and dressing their wounds within the hour, sighing in relief when she felt satisfied by the stability if their breathing. The sun had fallen already, leaving the moon and stars to light up the room. Saruna wasn't sure how to light up the rooms in the hive, but she could see them well enough. She heard the buzz of Sollux's bees fluttering around their nest calmly. A few of the purple bees flew over Sollux, circling him curiously and buzzing in their beenary code that Saruna had yet to understand. A part of her wondered if they were actually concerned for him or if they just coincidentally meant to buzz around him.

Saruna sighed and stood from the bed, her legs shaking from fatigue. She had thought dressing the two wounded trolls was a good enough rest for her legs but they apparently requested for a longer break. She couldn't allow herself to sleep however, she was oversuspicious about everything and scared witless that Erebus would find them in their lowest state. Gog she was so scared. If her powers hadn't miraculously worked for her in that fight, she feared to think that Sollux would have lost against Erebus or even pushed himself so far as to kill himself. What would she do without him? Only he could teach her how to control her psionics. Only he could bring comfort to her thus far. Sollux was the only person she trusted sincerely since awakening without her memories.

Memories… Saruna remembered that Erebus had stated how she should have been dead like the rest of her planet. If the planet she once lived on was completely and utterly destroyed, did that mean all of her memories were lost forever? She pondered if she even wanted to remember everything. For all she knew, she had a terrible past, but at the same time, she could have had loving friends, a family, a home that she belonged in. Whoever she was, a large part of her desperately wished to know who she once claimed to be or was recognized as. In truth, she tried not to think about it too much. The idea of a lost past made her unhappy and contemplative until she felt sick to her stomach or had a blistering headache. Both had happened a couple nights ago after she had woken up in the middle of the night with tears streaming down her face. Needless to say, she thought for the rest of the night until she had to give up or she was sure she would throw up.

Her eyes drifted to Sollux and she moved to his side to wipe the streaks of red and blue from his eyes with a towel. His psionics seemed to have calmed down finally, the few spasms that had happened every so often now non existent. Anymore it looked as though he was sleeping peacefully if it weren't for the bandages covering his arm and some of his chest.

Saruna felt terrible as she watched him sleep, believing that she was the cause of his pain. He had told her to get away, but she had stayed stubbornly, giving Erebus an opening to try and kill her. The scene vividly ran through her mind; Sollux jumping in front of her despite his obvious weariness from the previous battle, just to protect her from death.

Why? What made him so willing to protect her from nearly anything even though he knew her for just a few days? She was a fucking nuisance, a pest in his life that nearly caused him to die for her sake. Why did Sollux always jump in to save her at his own expense? Saruna sighed, promising to thank him when he woke up eventually for all that he had done for her. Her fingers reached out, brushing his bangs from his forehead tenderly. As if she received a shock to her finger tips, she pulled back suddenly, unsure of what had come over her to do such a rather affectionate touch. A red blush came over her cheeks as she pressed her hand to her chest, biting her lower lip. Her think pan was melting, losing its coherence. She really needed to get some sleep, even if she was afraid.

Taking small, steady steps, Saruna left the room lingering at the doorway as if she expected on of them to awaken there and then. When the room remained silent and motionless aside from the bees, the female Gemini troll pressed her lips together, somberly glancing to the ground and moving to the other room to get some well-deserved rest from the long, tiresome day she experienced.

When the rays of the sun beamed just right on Saruna's face, she was unwilling to wake up and start the day. Yesterday had been a difficult and taxing day, and she could feel it in her aching muscles as they pleaded for her to remain where she was. If it had been a normal day, Saruna would have probably listened to her body, but she wanted to check up on Sollux and Karkat. Pulling herself out of her comfortable rest, she shuffled back to Sollux's room and was both pleased and relieved to find that Karkat was conscious again, though the pure confusion etched on his expression meant a lot of explanation was going to be necessary.

The mutant blooded troll was gaping at Sollux, gingerly trying to keep himself in a sitting position though it clearly hurt him to do so. He seemed to be talking to himself, rather frantically to say the least, and Saruna caught a few words like "What the fuck is happening" and "How the fuck did I get here" and even "Who the fuck took Sollux and I's shirt". She was sure that he said 'fuck' at least once or twice in each sentence. She cleared her throat to make her presence known, and Karkat whirled around on her, wincing. His eyes, a blood ruby red, widened.

"Who the fuck are you!?" He said rather coldly and defensively. "Why are you in Sollux's hive!?"

Saruna opened her mouth to speak, but Karkat jumped off of the bed suddenly, grabbing one of his sickles and holding it up threateningly. His body was quick to reject his movement and he cursed when his knees gave out and he fell to the ground. Saruna moved to help him, but the moment he showed sign of hostility, she kept a safe distance.

"Please, I promise I won't hurt you." She tried to reassure.

"If you don't tell me what the fuck is going on, I swear the fucking moment I can fucking stand up, I will take my sickle and fucking gut you!" Karkat growled.

Saruna pressed her lips together at his unnecessary threat, now realizing just how crabby he really was. However, he probably wasn't bluffing, and she frankly didn't have any desire to find out personally.

"My name is Saruna Kerida, and I brought you and Sollux back to his hive after you were both gravely injured by Erebus. We-"

"Who the fuck is Erebus?" interrupted Karkat, and Saruna sighed. This was going to take a long time with the unfriendly troll if he intended to interrupt her when he didn't know about something. Simultaneously, she could not blame him for his discomfort and demand for knowledge. She told him all he wanted to know that she was able to explain and little by little, Karkat seemed to calm down, though once her story reached a point where she believed his planet was gone, he was clearly distraught due to the somber expression he held. Saruna felt terrible that she had to be the one to tell him that his home was more than likely gone forever. Nevertheless, she could relate to him. He listened to her in the end until she finished, and he slowly took it all in while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Thus leads to where we are now, here in the hive having this conversation. I don't know if Erebus has completely consumed your planet or if he will find us again." Saruna glanced solemnly at Sollux who was still unconscious. "For now, I was just watching over the two of you until one of you woke up, because I don't know what to do…"

Karkat mumbled something under his breath, sounding very annoyed and upset by everything. He groaned then and looked sketchily at Saruna for a moment or two. "I'm going to wait until Sollux wakes up to confirm what you have said." He decided. "I don't know whether I can believe a girl Sollux right now, not when everything is so fucking messed up. I don't remember anything except pestering him when I heard from Terezi that she was in trouble. Fuck I hope she's okay!"

Saruna disliked knowing that Erebus had likely reached Sollux and Karkat's other friends. She knew they would have to save them, but how could they when Sollux was still out for the count and Karkat was in dire need of recuperating? It was so hard, she thought, not knowing what to do, and being completely worthless in the idea of being helpful. Karkat huffed under his breath and barely looked at Saruna when he said, "Did you say you cleaned up Sol and I's injuries?"

She nodded, "Yes, I did, and yes, I had to remove your shirts in the process."

Karkat frowned, some of his fangs poking out, "Well, thanks… I guess for that. That's a bit of a relief to say the least."

"What?" Saruna blinked, confused.

Karkat flinched and Saruna swore she saw a light dusting of red on his cheeks when he turned away, "Well without an explanation, I thought that Sollux and I had some fucking drunken kismessitude night stand that I just couldn't remember. I feel better knowing that it was nowhere near that fucking crazy idea."

If there was anything Saruna remembered, it was her own name and the quadrants of troll romance, and hearing Karkat say that made her blush equally. Kismesiss quadrant was a hateful relationship between two trolls in which both returned the pure hate completely. As caliginous as it was, the trolls stilled pailed and certainly filled a bucket with their hatred. The idea wasn't strange, but Saruna believed that Karkat and Sollux were friendly rivals, not enemies to the heart. She eventually figured that Karkat got the idea from the share of wounds he and the Gemini troll had and the fact that they were both shirtless. A part of her wanted to laugh at Karkat's silly worrisome thought, but she stopped herself. It wasn't the time to laugh or joke about anything, especially in her mind. She was too worried about Sollux to laugh, too overcome with distress to feel content, too tired to feel relieved. Nothing would be okay until Sollux was okay.

"Hey," Karkat called to her and she returned her attention to him. "How did you even get here? Are you related to Sollux or something?"

Saruna shook her head, "Unfortunately, I do not know myself. I just woke up one day in this bed with some pretty bad wounds and no memory of anything but my name. Sollux took care of me, and he even helped me figure out my psionics a little. I can't quite control it yet though, so I'm still basically like a grub with my powers."

Karkat's red eyes watched her for a moment, flicking to her arms where a few cuts that were scabbing over resided. He seemed taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise.

"You also have my blood color?" He asked her, his voice full of incredulity.

"What?" Saruna glanced at her healing wounds, unaffected by her blood color. "Well, yes I suppose. It looks red to me."

There was some sort of relieved appearance in his eyes when she confirmed his thoughts, and he looked away from her. Saruna thought she saw the tiniest of thankful smiles on his lips, but she thought she imagined it. Karkat climbed to his feet shakily and sat on the edge of the bed, setting his sickle back where he retrieved it. He was far more relaxed than he had been when Saruna first encountered him once she found him awake, and that alone made Saruna feel worthy of his possible friendship sometime in the future. Maybe, she thought, she could be friends with everyone that Sollux knew. It was a hopeful thought, but she chose to not rely and lean on it.

"You should probably get some more rest Karkat." She insisted then, standing to make note that she would leave him be soon. "Let your wounds heal up, then maybe, when Sollux wakes up, and feels up to it, we can do something about the rest of your friends."

Karkat's lips thinned out, but he nodded at her suggestion and laid down carefully, his face contorting sometimes when he moved too fast or twisted his body incorrectly. When he found an adequately comfortable position, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, releasing more so a sigh than an exhale. Saruna gave him the privacy he needed to sleep in peace, deciding to walk outside to have her thoughts to herself.

Honestly, she wasn't sure what to think about, and she had no reason to even go on a walk. She wanted so many things, but could not get them. Before she stepped outside, however, she felt her head pound with a sudden pain and she clutched her head gently. The first time she had heard the voices in her head, she was terrified, but Sollux had reassured her that everything was okay. She trusted Sollux, and even though the voices howled of death and destruction, she let them be until they faded away, satisfied with their warnings. However, Saruna did not hear any voices this time, just an odd pulling and that sudden sharp pain as if someone hit her temple with a small brick. The pull was trying to take her back to the room where Karkat and Sollux slept.

Saruna could have swore she felt this odd feeling once before, just far more strongly and forced. She blinked in thought, unable to recall exactly when she had felt it, and gave in to the strange tug though partially annoyed that it was trying to bring her back to a guilty conscious with Sollux still knocked out. Letting the tugging pull lead her, she returned to Sollux's room, her feelings dampening again. From the corner of her eye, she saw a red and blue spark flitter from her shoulder. That wasn't her psionics…

"Sollux…?" Saruna quickened her pace, hope fluttering in her heart, and when she entered the room, she was greeted by lightly flickering red and blue eyes staring right at her, followed by a tired smirk.

He was awake. He was alive. He was okay. Saruna understood that he was hurt and weak, and she knew Karkat was fast asleep, but she was so overwhelmed with joy and relief, that she sprinted to Sollux's side of the bed and pounced on him in a tearful hug. His sharp hiss of pain went ignored as she tightened her hold, sobbing quietly and Sollux eventually just chuckled under his breath, joking if she had really missed him that much even in a matter of hours. Saruna lightly hit his chest and muttered for him to shut up, reveling in his warm sentient being. Everything was better now that Sollux could wrap his own arms around her trembling body, and Saruna could hear his lisped deep voice comforting her in his sarcastic, caring way.


	8. Chapter 7: Beneath the Stars

**Quite an amount of people have read this story so far, I must thank you all! I'm glad you guys are (possibly) enjoying the story. I can't sleep so I felt like posting another chapter haha. I guess there is some fluff in this chapter, if that what it is called? Anyway, enjoy! I don't own Homestuck and probably never will!**

Chapter 7: Beneath the Stars

Karkat became hopelessly restless and aggravated when Sollux refused to take action until the two of them were completely better for the sake of their survival. He worried for Terezi, and within the three days that passed by far too slow on his account, he was an emotionally pissed off wreck. His state of emotion made him lash out once at Saruna, earning him a harsh scolding from Sollux which then ended in a testosterone filled bitching match.

Saruna didn't dare to interrupt, but she held no ill will towards Karkat for his sudden snap on her. She wanted to help Terezi too, but she also wanted the two of them to be at their full potential before they went head first into another possible battle. Eventually the two gave each other the cold shoulder and things went relatively back to normal. If the both of them were asleep at the same time, Saruna would practice her psionics outside cautiously so she didn't hurt herself. After those three days, she was able to easily focus power into her palms and lift a few items for a short time. She still grew tired after each practice, even if it was small trivial things. However, she was proud of her achievement, even if it wasn't as significant as Sollux's capabilities.

When it was only Sollux awake, she would show him what she could do, and usually he would nod in approval, critiquing what she could improve on or try practicing next. He knew he couldn't prevent her from practicing, but he did request that she limit herself, as he didn't want to find her overstrained and unconscious again. Then he would crack a stupid joke of some sort that he should be better already and going to save his friends. They were out of sincerity, trying to cheer Saruna up as she figured out after the third day.

Sollux wasn't ignorant, he could see the anguish in her dual colored eyes, tormented still by the knowledge of her lost home planet, saddened by unconsciously bringing Sollux and his friends into a dangerous battlefield, and terrified of what the future held for all of them. He could recognize what she felt because he felt those emotions too, and he had seen them in his friends eyes as well during the game. Anytime she seemed upset, his eyes flickered curiously and he would sit up to get a better look at her, and if she tried to avoid his gaze, he would use his psionics to pull her face back towards him.

"I don't know why you try to hide." He said on the third night. "I can see you're upset Saruna, and I already know why. How many times must I tell you everything will be okay?"

And she would stare at him, holding back the threat of tears from shedding, "How can you be so certain about that? How do you know everything will be okay?"

"Because when I make a promise, I intend to keep it no matter what happens to myself." Sollux assured. "You just gotta trust me."

Sollux had never made a promise to Saruna, just him asking her to promise him that she would be safe. He had never mentioned making her a promise, or having any promises in the first place. Whether he would tell her of his secret promise, she didn't know, but somehow it always brought comfort to her.

"By the way, I meant to apologize for KK's shit earlier." mentioned Sollux. "He didn't need to snap at you like that, but similarly, that is how he can be sometimes. I get that he is worried for Terezi, I am too, but we were in no condition to go yet. Tomorrow though, I think we can go to her planet. I feel way better than I did a few days ago, and I can walk around pretty good again." Saruna thinned her lips, her eyebrows furrowing, "I understand Karkat's feelings, it doesn't bother me that he snapped at me. When did you get to walk around without my help or supervision?"

Sollux smirked superiorly, "Did you really think I was asleep every time you went outside to practice your psionics? Man, you can't tell a sleeping troll from another!"

"You're always laying still so figured you are sleeping." The amnesia-ridden troll muttered with a smile. "I didn't want to wake either you or Karkat so I left in silence usually. If I knew you were awake, I would have stayed to help you."

"I'm not crippled, I can do it by myself now, see?" He stood up from the bed to prove himself, and Saruna didn't see him flinch in pain once. The scattered injuries on his body were certainly healed up, some fading and others becoming scars. "Do you want to go outside?"

Saruna nodded, waiting for Sollux to throw on a shirt before they headed outside into the night sky. He looked different when he didn't wear his shades, but Saruna found it gave him a level of attractiveness she found charming. They went to the hill they usually trained at, and Sollux stretched his arms outward to the sky before he flopped down onto the grass with a relieved sigh. Saruna laid next to him, gazing at the stars above. They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Sollux spoke up.

"Have you dreamed about your home planet yet? Or had any visions of what your past was like maybe?"

"No, not at all." Saruna wished she could hide the obvious disappointment in her voice. She wondered how she managed to miss something she couldn't remember. "There is a part of me that really wants to know everything, but there's another part-"

"That doesn't want to remember at all…" Sollux finished her statement softly, his eyes closing in thought. "You know Saruna, this isn't meant to be taken as offensive or jokingly… but I envy your amnesia a little."

The Gemini female rolled onto her side to look at Sollux full on, "Why do you envy my amnesia? I find it heartbreaking really."

Sollux was ominously quiet for a minute or two, his eyes remaining closed in the span of time. When it appeared that he would answer, Saruna was left in a further silence and she could only watch as he noticeably clenched his jaw once, twice, three times in his thoughts. His eyes opened and he suddenly rubbed at them with his hands hastily. But Saruna had not missed the gleam of yellow in his eyes; the gleam of tears. She reached a hand out, and stopped mid way. He didn't need her comfort, she did not understand how he felt. She could not sympathize with him even if he told her what he was feeling.

"I am envious because I wish I could forget the friends that I have lost to the game and the lusus that raised me." Sollux disclosed. "So I didn't have to miss them, to feel sad for losing them, to feel… guilty for letting them die."

Saruna felt her heart ache for him. He squeezed his eyes shut as if trying to block out his memories in a desperate attempt to spare himself of whatever he was forced to live with and remember for the rest of his life.

"I get that I can still visit them in dream bubbles, but that's only a dream." Sollux shook his head, denying his obvious sorrow longer. "They aren't here, they are dead, never to come back… never to grow up with us… never to have a life that they may have dreamed about having… that I… may have dreamed…"

Sollux squeezed his fists suddenly, and his eyes sparked in distress as he gritted his teeth tightly like he was in pain. Saruna wasn't sure was compelled her to do so, but she reached out and took Sollux's fist into her hand and held it. No, she could not sympathize with Sollux, she could not claim to understand what he was going through, but she could be with him in his lower states of unstable emotion.

"Fuck, it is my fault that they aren't here!" Sollux berated to himself. "I killed them because of my stupidity! I cursed them all with that fucking code, killing all their lusus, and them too! I couldn't fight that Spider bitch to save Aradia… I was too weak against fucking Eridan and thus got Feferi killed! It's my fault… it's my fault!" By now his entire body was beginning to shiver with dancing red and blue electricity, following in sync with his self-loathing. Tiny volts made Saruna's hand twitch in pain from the light zaps.

"Stop it!" Saruna gripped his hand tighter, her eyes giving off a spark of indignation. "Please, stop it Sollux… It wasn't your fault that some of your friends died. You didn't kill them, you tried to save them! Sollux, one troll can only do so much before they need help too."

The Gemini troll was silent again, but he was calming down bit by bit. His hands unclenched allowing Saruna to massage the back of it soothingly, and she watched as he breathed deeply, trying to further relax himself. His eyes never left the sky, but she still saw the stray line of a tear fall from the corner of his eye. She stayed there for however long it took for him to recover from his episode of sorrow, just rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb in a slow gentle motion. Her heart ached for him, and she wanted to convince him to tell her about some of his friends, but it seemed cruel to delve into the idea further at this rate. Sollux closed his eyes again and he sighed.

"Saruna…" His voice was lowered to a whisper, but she heard him clearly. "Thanks…"

She smiled gently, giving his hand a squeeze to show she was there for him. Anytime he needed her she would try to be there, just as he had been there for her when she needed him. Sollux's breathing became deeper and she realized he had fallen asleep. There was no need to wake him up to move him back to his bed, so Saruna snuggled a little closer to reach the warmth his body radiated and she too fell asleep under the bright stars of the night sky.


	9. Chapter 8: A Lost Mind

Chapter 8: A Lost Mind

"Hey fuck-tards, wake up!"

Sollux groaned when his relatively peaceful rest was foiled by Karkat's impatient and unhappy voice. He reluctantly opened his eyes to the Cancer troll hovering over his face with both a disgruntled and teasing expression etched onto his face. Unamused, Sollux covered his face with his arm… or he tried to move it at least. A slightly heavy weight held it down and he glanced in confusion. Saruna was nestled at his side, still fast asleep. An unwanted blush creeped onto Sollux's face and Karkat snorted a laugh.

"There's no time to be fucking cuddling with your matesprite Sollux." He teased stiffly.

Sollux growled at him, jerking himself free and abruptly awakening Saruna with a startled jump, "She is not my matesprite, we just fell asleep you ass."

"Uh-huh, yeah okay, whatever." Karkat huffed, straightening himself and crossing his arms. "Just get the fuck up already, we need to get going now. I had to fucking look everywhere for you two, and what the fuck are you doing? Fucking laying outside like there is nothing to give a fuck about!"

"Alright already KK, I get it!" hissed Sollux as he levitated lazily into the air. "We will get going now then, so don't get your bulge in a knot. Come on Saruna." He offered her his hand and she accepted graciously. Karkat groaned with impatience, storming off and grumbling about what slow nook-suckers they were. The vulgar comment made Saruna unintentionally blush and she ducked her head, scurrying back to the hive while Sollux floated alongside of her muttering bitterly of how much a prick Karkat could be.

Once they had all they found necessary; items being Karkat's sickles and Sollux's glasses, the small group moved to Sollux's transportalizer, and Karkat was quick to jump on it and disappear. Saruna hesitated when Sollux insisted she go before him, afraid that they would be separated again.

"It will be fine, Terezi only has one transportalizer, so we won't be split apart unless you think of going somewhere else." Sollux encouraged. "Just think about our friend Terezi. She is the only one in the universe so nothing can go wrong."

She nodded, motivated by his words and stepped onto the transportalizer. In an instant, she disappeared in a flash of light, and Sollux waited for a few seconds before following suit. He hoped to find all was well, that Terezi was unharmed and normal, that Erebus had not reached her planet. His hopes were destroyed when he comprehended his surroundings, eyes widening at the mess before him.

Terezi's respite block was in shambles, scalemates destroyed and scattered all over the ground in tuffs of cotton. Chalk was broken and shattered on the floor, teal blood speckled sections of the ground, and a lone pair of red glasses laid slightly cracked in a puddle of teal. Karkat stood by the puddle, his body trembling as he reached for the glasses, taking them into his hands with fear-filled gentleness. Sollux felt his muscles grow tense as he noticed Terezi's computer sparking, broken and tattered on the floor. Rope that she used often in her judge roleplaying punishments were sliced into small threads.

"Oh my gosh…" Saruna's shaken voice brought them all into the reality that laid before them. "Are… are we too late?"

Sollux hated to believe that it could have been true, that they could have been too slow to save Terezi because of his decision to wait for their wounds to heal completely. He clung to the hope that Terezi was still alive since her body was not in her respiteblock.

"Don't say that…" demanded Karkat. "Don't say that we are too late…!" He rounded onto Saruna, eyes blazing with fury and dread. "We will find her, and we will save her! Terezi is not dead, she is somewhere out there, and we have to find her!" He spun around to the window, eyeing the dark, gloomy skies clouded by none other than Erebus. The way the black cloud moved so fluently on their own, a few black shadows casting out to the ground, there was no doubt in their minds. Karkat bared his teeth, his hands tightening on his sickles and Terezi's glasses as he darkly growled.

"EREBUS, I SWEAR I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU IF I EVER GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" He cursed into the air. "IF YOU FUCKING HURT TEREZI I WILL FUCKING TEAR YOU TO SHREDS!"

The clouds rumbled as if mocking him, and Sollux moved swiftly to Saruna's side protectively, uncertain if Erebus would strike on his own. Thunder rolled, and a bolt of lightning flashed dangerously close the the respiteblock. Saruna yelped with fear, her eyes lighting up in her sudden state of panic. Karkat seemed unfazed, too pissed off to be afraid of any threats that Erebus rained down on them. He moved closer to the window suddenly, cursing hastily.

Sollux checked what had him in edge, only to do the same thing the Cancer troll did. Toothbeasts crawled about outside the respiteblock, but they were clearly possessed by the darkness of Erebus. There had to be about a dozen large toothbeasts circling the respiteblock, and Sollux felt eternally grateful that Terezi made her home among the trees so enemies like toothbeasts could not get in easily. Yet seeing them circling the respiteblock was unsettling and Sollux knew staying where they were had little to no benefit. Erebus had them under his control, and for all they knew, the dark powers could have enhanced their strengths more than they wanted them to.

"We need to get out of here if we want any chance at finding Terezi." Sollux decided. "Erebus no doubt has her under his control, so we need to be careful and we have to try and not kill her. She is already pretty beaten up it would seem… but depending on the severity of her wounds determines how we fight her."

"Damn it…" growled Karkat. "I don't want to fight Terezi… but if it saves her, I will do what I can."

"I will help too," chirped Saruna. "In any possible way I will help save her."

Another strike of lightning flashed, bursting through the window suddenly and zapping the floor, setting it ablaze. Karkat's eyes widened in horror as the flame spread quickly, and while Sollux shoved Saruna out the window and onto a thick stable tree branch, he frantically tried to put it out. This was Terezi's home, and she was already losing the majority of it to a demonic being in the form of a massive cloud. Karkat also knew that if the respiteblock burned down, they would lose the transportalizer, their only way back to Sollux's hive. The flames lapped at the wood, perfect fuel to strengthen it at a fast pace, and Karkat knew he had no chance at defeating the fire. It began to singe his skin and when he heard Sollux bark at him to get out, Karkat woefully gave up and joined the two trolls. When they were at a safe distance, Karkat somberly watched Terezi's respiteblock burn with rueful eyes, but in seconds they became enraged. Sollux had never seen him so vexed, but he himself was angered as he watched the flames cover the respiteblock. Erebus would pay.

The toothbeasts had noticed their departure from the burning respiteblock, and were quick to give chase, snarling and glaring at the trio. There was no way they could reach them, but Sollux kept an eye on Karkat, paranoid that the Cancer troll would dive at them in his righteous fury. Usually Karkat was very reluctant to fight, mainly because he had not wanted anyone to see his mutant blood, but since he had informed everyone, he was more willing to fight. Thankfully, he did nothing more than bare his teeth at the beasts, tensing his muscles.

"We need to get moving." He growled, more demandingly than he could have. His gaze swept the forest filled land, landing on a tower of black clouds cascading from the sky. "Over there, we should check it out."

"Good plan," Sollux agreed, levitating at Saruna's side. "I'll hold you guys in my psionics so we can get away from these pesky toothbeasts easier, but I have a feeling we will still have to watch our backs." He flexed his hands at his side, surrounding them in red and blue simultaneously as Karkat and Saruna were encompassed by the two colors of psionics. Sollux tested the stability of his hold by slowly lifting the two off the safety of the tree branch, and when he found it to be secure enough he floated above the trees with them and soared in the direction of the black cloud tower.

Saruna eyed the toothbeasts as they gave chase, snarling and howling at them, but Sollux gained ground faster than they did and they were soon left in the dust. She watched the ground beneath them pass by, awed by the new view she was given. Similarly, however, she checked on Sollux every so often to make sure he was not overusing his powers. He appeared relatively unfazed for the most part, but she persisted her checking like a concerned lusus. The luscious forest slowly began to wither away into what looked to be a canyon. Saruna could barely grasp the concept that two completely different land masses coexisted side by side; one of greenery and life and the other dusty and deadly. They neared the massive cloud tower, but before coming within a mile of it, Sollux jolted suddenly and stopped in his tracks, his hand moving to his head. He shook his head as if pushing away dizziness.

"Sol, you okay?" worried Karkat, his red eyes cautiously on Sollux. "Set us down if you're starting to get strained."

Saruna noted the honest concern in Karkat's voice, though he had been purely aggravated moments ago. He really did care about his friends, no matter how gruff he could have been.

"Agh, it's not that I feel strained," Sollux grunted irritably. "Erebus is stronger than he was last time, and I can feel it as we get closer to him." He sent the two trolls to the ground, landing shortly after them and massaging his forehead hastily. "Ah fuck… not now."

Karkat set a hand on his shoulder, and Saruna recognized his pained expression of a sharp migraine from the voices in his head. She felt like she was getting a headache herself standing at least a mile away from the cloud. That or the whispers she could hear slowly becoming louder and louder were affecting her. Warnings and panicked threats swarmed her thoughts suddenly and she clutched her head with a whine. Karkat must have heard her as he shot a quick worried glance at her and inquired about her health.

"I will be okay." Saruna reassured him. "It's like what Sollux goes through often…"

"Do you guys hear the same thing?" Karkat asked. "Are you both Mages of Doom?"

Saruna stared at him curiously, "Mage of Doom? Isn't that what you are Sollux? I don't believe I am one too, even though he and I are similar in some ways."

Karkat seemed troubled by her statement, and he shared a glance with Sollux who seemed to be finally coming to his senses again. The voices in Saruna's head had faded away too, and she straightened herself with an exhale.

"Have you not reached God Tier?" questioned Karkat.

"Is that what it is? God Tier?" Saruna blinked, and Sollux nodded, his eyes somber when he seemed to finally realize that either she did not remember if she was already at God Tier status or if she had never been able to reach it. "How do you get God Tier?"

"That's not important right now." Sollux piped up. "I will tell you about that later when we find Terezi and get somewhere safe from Erebus. If there is a safe place that is…" He pushed his shades higher into the bridge of his nose, starting off towards the great pillar of black.

Saruna and Karkat followed behind closely, and all Saruna could think about was what God Tier was. It apparently gave a formal title to whoever had reached it, and Sollux's was the Mage of Doom. His sounded rather ominous compared to a formal high standing title, and it enabled him to hear the voices of the dead warning him of dreaded futures. Then why was she able to hear them too for the most part? Was it possible to have two Mages of Doom with ironically similar abilities and some similar features?

"Don't fall in this crevice." announced Sollux, as he leapt over a four foot wide fissure in the ground.

Saruna bounded over with ease, grateful that the Gemini troll reported the crevice's presence, for her thoughts had easily distracted her from paying attention to where she was going. Only then did she finally realize how much closer they had gotten to the cloud tower. She trembled, now able to feel raw power surging through the air from the pillar. Erebus had been growing stronger, each day of his traveling to conquer worlds giving him more power. It gave her a sense of fear and a sense of anger too. This being had destroyed her planet, wrecked her memories, infiltrated the lives of thousands, and now possessed cherished friends. When would they be able to stop him?

Saruna leapt over another crevice, and the wind began to pick up. She shielded her eyes from dust and noticed Sollux had stopped. Karkat had as well, and he seemed to be petrified in place. The massive pillar shook violently suddenly and it retreated up into the clouds with a strange high pitched shrill, followed by a sinister laugh.

"Erebus…!" Karkat tensed, his eyes flashing with merciless fury. "Where is Terezi!? What did you fucking do to her!?"

A flash of lightning lit the shadowed sky, and Sollux shouted out in warning as a stray bolt came crashing down toward the group, to which they dodged swiftly. Saruna could feel her eyes sparking from the rage she began to feel, but hers were nowhere near Sollux's level. The Gemini troll almost instinctively raced to her side to protect her from anything, his hands flaring with familiar red and blue. Saruna followed his lead, but her psionic flame was smaller than his and less stable. The panic of the danger had her in a frenzy, unable to clearly focus.

 _"I know not of this girl that you speak of."_ echoed Erebus, his answer making Karkat growl. " _I, however, have obtained many useful slaves to aid me in my conquest. It so happens that one is a troll. She is there… right behind you."_

All at once the three trolls froze, slowly turning their heads to see the female troll behind them. Saruna registered her appearance quickly though it was darkened by the shadows surrounding her. Short shoulder length hair, a wicked grin of malevolence, conical horns, and her eyes were completely red, as though burned and destroyed, rendering her completely blind. She held a red and white cane with a dragon's head carved as its handle in her hands, standing upright and lawfully before the trio. It was not hard to miss the multiple lacerations scattered among her body, her teal blood staining her torn black shirt and pants. A teal Libra symbol resided in the middle of her shirt.

"Terezi…" Karkat's voice wavered as he said the Libra trolls name.


	10. Chapter 9: Declaration of War

**Sooo, yeah I did post two chapters up a few days ago. I don't even know why, but oh well! I have been really enjoying this experience and I hope all of you guys are too! Anyway, enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 9: Declaration of War

Karkat turned to face Terezi completely, eyes quivering, "Jegus, fuck, Terezi are you okay...?"

She tilted her head at him, her smile fading away with her conniving stare, softening her features. Karkat stepped forward, his expression somber by her injuries and appearance.

"Don't go near her KK!" warned Sollux. "I know it looks like her, but it's not the Terezi we know right now!" Karkat froze in place at Sollux's reminder, hurt flickering over his red eyes. His body quivered, clearly wanting to reach out to his ally, and his hold on his sickles noticeably loosened. Saruna pitied him, able to see the torture in his eyes from acknowledging that this was not the Terezi he knew and cared for. It was a husk of a shell.

" _Karkat…_ " Saruna jumped at the realism of the voice, feminine and playful. It affected Karkat even more, his lips quavering with reluctance. " _Karkat, it hurts…"_ The smile returned, dark and devious, and she lifted her cane into her other hand, pulling it apart into two sharp blades gleaming with her teal blood.

Sollux had to pull Karkat away from her, the Cancer troll too dazed to move himself though his life was in imminent danger. Terezi crouched over, preparing to strike and Sollux went on an immediate defensive, using his surroundings to his benefit. Rocks scattered around served as a great distraction, and larger boulders could be used to protect himself and the others should Terezi attack. Her style was close ranged combat, similar to Karkat's but with greater speed and flexibility.

Terezi made her move, racing at Sollux quick enough to catch him off guard. She went for a stab, and he managed to avoid the latter of the wound with a stray cut to his arm before shoving the Libra troll away. His body jolted the moment his psionics touched her and he fell to the ground with a hiss of pain. Karkat snapped out of his trance seeing his friend become defenseless and he moved to his front, holding his sickles up threateningly. Saruna aided him in standing again, yelping when Terezi pounced on Karkat who blocked her attack, throwing her aside and following up with a flurry of avoidable attacks. He had no intention of harming Terezi, but holding back when she was coming at full force would prove to be a challenge.

"What was that Sollux?" fretted Saruna as Sollux refocused his psionics.

"Erebus," Sollux grunted in frustration. "He is stronger than the previous times, strong enough to shoot my powers back at me full force now. Damn it, this won't be easy getting him out of Terezi at the rate, but I don't know how to weaken him without further wounding Terezi in the process. She is in worse shape than KK and I were after our fight."

"Then what do we do?" Saruna jumped upon hearing Karkat shout in pain, Terezi slashing his thigh in a clean movement. The Libra troll lifted her blade to her mouth, dripping with his red blood and she sniffed longingly before tasting it. To Saruna, it was the strangest and probably the most disturbing thing she felt she could have seen, but Terezi maniacally giggled, her voice only slightly distorted.

" _Your blood is so delicious Karkat."_ She cackled. _"The taste of red cherries… my favorite flavor."_

Karkat seemed further wounded by her comment, and Saruna realized that rather than speaking in the high authoritative way that Erebus spoke, she talked likely how she must have spoke to her friends. How much stronger had Erebus become to manage to manipulate his hosts bodies to speaking as they normally did?

Terezi smiled, a far more deadly smile than anyone would have enjoyed seeing, and she continued her attacks on Karkat who desperately tried to avoid each stab and swipe with his new leg injury. He didn't last long, his leg giving out as he twisted away from a strike too suddenly, and Saruna barely had time to react before Sollux used his powers to distract Terezi with rocks. She turned on the two psionic users, her sharp fangs complimenting her deadly grin, and she charged. Sollux bounded to his feet, pushing Saruna back and blocking the Libra trolls path with a large boulder. She was quick to pounce over it, pointing her double sword edge cane at Sollux who levitated into the air.

" _Aww, you're no fun Captor."_ Terezi said with an unamused snort. " _What's the matter? Afraid that I'll bite a vein for a taste?"_

Sollux made a face of disdain, "Not really, I just don't like that shit eating grin you're giving me. It's too Erebus-like."

Her smile faltered, replaced with a scowl. Then she looked back at Saruna, her burnt red eyes likely not even on her, though it still made her tense and focus power into her hands cautiously. Undeniably Terezi was blind, but she seemed more than capable to protect herself based on what she had performed. She soundly inhaled, lips curving upwards again.

" _Mmm, you also have red in you?_ " Her complete attention was on Saruna now, intrigued by the color of her blood, but Sollux was quick to float in front of her, a frown etched on his expression. " _I'm sure she wouldn't mind me having a taste, but then there is you, Sollux, who keeps getting in the way. You would do better to stay out of personal wants."_

"Maybe if you were the real Terezi I would be more willing to let you near her, but not when you aren't even the Terezi Karkat and I know." growled Sollux. "But don't worry, I will bring you back somehow."

" _I doubt you will succeed this time._ " Terezi positioned herself in a fighting stance. " _Last time was a fluke, now you will give in to the darkness._ "

Sollux didn't like the haughty smirk she was giving him, like she knew something he didn't. He glanced around a few quick times, spotting Karkat making his way toward them with a limp. When the Cancer troll looked as though he was about to yell, Saruna let out a horrified gasp, her feet dragging on the floor as if she has spun around on her toes. Sollux twisted his neck, catching sight of the toothbeasts that had chased them all the way out there, and he cursed, returning his attention back to Terezi as she charged at him. He heard the snarl of the toothbeasts, about ten of them all at once, Saruna yelp as she tried preparing herself to fight back, and Karkat shouting out as he forced himself to run. The black sky above them flashed with thunder and lightning on the battle breaking out beneath.

Terezi feigned an attack, striking her cane into the ground and using the planted blades as a firm boost to kick Sollux square in the chest. The wind momentarily knocked out of his lungs, Sollux stumbled backwards, greeted with a searing pain almost immediately from a toothbeast clamping its razor sharp teeth on his calf in a vice grip. He cried out, twisting his upper body around to the massive beast on him, fur once white but now clouded in black mist of Erebus' power, and mercilessly brought a psionic bound fist onto its head. A sickening crack resounded, the skull of the toothbeast shattered from Sollux's feral strike, and it went limp almost immediately, dead on impact.

Sollux pulled his leg free, groaning miserably at the spill of his mustard yellow blood from multiple gaping wounds on his calf. There was no time to think, Terezi was already on him again, forcing him to levitate away from her. Karkat interfered with her pursuit, so Sollux took the chance to frantically search for Saruna, having lost her in the surprise ambush. His dual colored eyes grew wide, and he felt his heart thump with fear. She was standing, but only barely, her clothes torn front and back with claw marks and teeth. Her red blood dripped down her arms, legs, and back. Two toothbeasts were slain, likely from her newly learned ability of psionics she had only begun to practice. Her hands faintly sparked as though she couldn't correctly focus her powers into her palm again and likely her eyes were similarly jolting in a short circuited manner. Sollux had never even heard her cry for him to help her, nor did he recall ever hearing a scream of pain from her. She had been silent… trying to keep him from being distracted by her so he could focus on saving Terezi.

Seven toothbeasts remained, circling around her with bloodied mouths and claws. Saruna weakly took a stance, her body shaking like she was in an earthquake. One of the beasts pounced at her, snarling with claws outstretched, and Sollux grabbed it in his psionics, specifically around its waist, throwing it back into another. He felt furious; these toothbeast had gravely injured Saruna and he had been too distracted to aid her, to keep her from harm. Four of the possessed beasts turned on Sollux, leaping at him with inhuman strength while the remaining three continued to tease Saruna with slow steps and low growls. She tasted nothing but iron, and felt nothing but fear and worthlessness. Any moment, she believed she would keel over from the loss of blood, but adrenaline was holding her up against her weakness.

Sollux beat down two of the beasts and blasted a third with an overpowered psionic burst of energy, but the fourth grabbed him by his torn leg and dragged him down to the ground with a harsh slam. His head throbbed with pain at the forceful landing on the ground, but soon the toothbeast was over him, trying to chomp down on his neck for the killing strike. Using his forearm, Sollux pushed against the neck of the beast as it snapped at his face, clawing at the dirt and raking his shoulders occasionally, and he pulled off his shades with his free hand.

"Get the fuck off of me _now_!" His eyes were dangerously wild, energy rising in exponential proportion, until a massive uncontrolled optic blast fired from his eyes, red and blue matching the eye color. The toothbeast was incinerated in seconds, and the blast dissipated in a flurry of sparkling star specks.

Sollux rolled onto his stomach, groaning and covering his eyes as red and blue streaked out of them from the use of power he used. Normally he could use the optic blast without suffering, but the rage he was experiencing was overpowering every attack he did when using psionics. His shoulders burned from the multiple lacerations of the beasts claws tearing into them, and when he finally recuperated his vision, he saw Karkat and Terezi still locked in a back and forth battle, Karkat covered in stray slashes and a stab to his shoulder. Terezi had acquired a few new cuts, the most significant of them on her left leg where a gash hindered her movements. Karkat had either purposely attacked finally or he had miscalculated his movements and caused more harm to her than he intended to. Since they appeared to be going strong still, Sollux searched for Saruna and the three remaining toothbeasts. They were further away than he remembered, until he realized just why. Saruna had led them to the nearest crevice in the ground all while trying to not provoke the beasts into attacking her. Sollux knew then he had underestimated her immensely; she was far stronger than she acknowledged to be. He forced himself onto his feet again and he ran toward the female Gemini troll despite his tattered leg.

He had to save her. She needed his help. He couldn't let someone else die because he wasn't strong enough or able to do so. His hands alighted with psionics again as his run became a sprint, and Saruna noticed his race to rescue her, her eyes wide with vague hope and great pain. A toothbeast roared at her and pounced, emitting a hoarse scream from Sollux as she was knocked back, both her and the beast falling into the crevice. Her cries resounded through the air as Sollux threw the remaining two beasts back and into the depths, sliding onto his knees at the edge of the crevice and reaching into the fissure, focusing desperately and intensely. Saruna was caught in a tightly bound hold of blue. Thank gog for psionics…

Sollux lifted her back up to safe ground, embracing her the moment she could be in his arms safe and secure. Her shoulders were trembling, and her breathing was tremendously strained and fragile. She was crying against him, wrapping her bloody, torn arms around him for comfort and reassurance that it was all real, that she was no longer falling into blackness.

"Sollux… Sollux, thank gog…" She gasped into his shoulder, clawing at the fabric of his shirt. "I thought… I was going to die then…"

He said nothing, only holding her tighter. When she winced against his touch he lightened up just a little, but stayed against her. Sollux didn't think he would feel that same fear he felt when he lost… her. Fresh, warm wet streaks cascaded down his face and he had a moment of confusion. They weren't from the strain of using his psionics, but they were tears. How scared had he been? Apparently more than he had expected himself be.

He registered in his mind how badly injured she was, feeling the warmth of her blood against his skin. Her hair was messy, covered with dirt and drying blood from a stray cut across half of her forehead likely from a toothbeast. Blood oozed from the corner of her mouth and a cut on her bottom lip. She was losing so much blood…

"You're gonna be okay Saruna…" Sollux said, trying to reassure himself more so than her. "We will get through this… just stay strong."

"Sollux… everything hurts so much." Saruna whimpered. "I tried to fight those things… but they attacked all at once and I couldn't do anything."

"I know… I know, I'm so sorry Saruna." The Gemini troll apologized. "I should have stayed with you so this didn't happen to you. Jegus, fuck I'm so stupid."

Saruna pressed into him further, "No, I did this on purpose. You need to save your friend, Terezi. I kept them away from you so you could focus on getting Erebus out of her. I guess I am still just too weak right now."

Damn it all. So Saruna had purposely thrown herself into the hazard of multiple toothbeasts just so Sollux could liberate Terezi. Unfortunately, she was still under Erebus' control… which reminded Sollux there was still plenty of trouble going on. It seemed that the moment he recollecting everything other than Saruna, Karkat gave out a bloodcurdling scream of agony and Sollux twisted his neck around, frantic. Terezi loomed over Karkat, one of her blades pierced into Karkat's stomach. His hands were gripping the blades edge as though he tried catching it before it stabbed him.

"Karkat!" Sollux pulled Saruna further onto the land before he stood up to make a mad dash toward them. "Terezi stop, it's us!"

"Sollux!" He barely heard Saruna shout after him before a stray strike of lightning sent fire scorching through his entire body. His body violently quaked with every jolt coursing through him, and he was unable to release a howl of gruesome suffering before it came to an abrupt end and he fell limply to the ground, occasionally shuddering with the weak leftover sparks. The pain was just as bad as if he overused his psionics. He heard Karkat shout for him to get up, heard Saruna wail his name multiple times, and faintly recognized the malicious laughter of Erebus, mocking his crumpled form.

That laugh infuriated Sollux to no end now, but no matter how much he tried, he could not move a muscle. It was as if he was paralyzed by the shock, turned into nothing more than a breathing, shivering vegetable. The world around him was shifting, a ring squealing in his ears at a constant rate. He tried to focus on Terezi, to watch her in case she tried to finish off Karkat in his moment of utter distress, but it seemed as if she was milking his horror, periodically glancing over at Sollux with a curiously pleased expression.

"Please Sollux…!" Saruna's voice was closer now, she must have been coming toward him. "You have to get up!"

 _Saruna…_ Sollux managed a groan, his fingers twitching. _Saruna I am here. I'm still alive, I just can't move._

"Saruna!" Sollux was startled to hear Karkat yell for her, his red eyes wide and hysterical, and Sollux heard her cry out, followed by a guttural snarl.

How? How did a toothbeast survive the fall into the crevice? How did it cling to the edge of life when it had been clearly thrown into an abyss? Sollux knew Erebus had some part in the beasts' survival, keeping it alive for this sole purpose of harming Saruna more. Karkat must have had a surge of energy, as he pulled Terezi's cane sword from his stomach and kicked her back in a fluid motion, scrambling to his feet and retrieving his sickles. He sped toward Saruna, bounding over Sollux with a roar, and the Gemini troll gritted his teeth, unable to see what was happening behind him. Terezi chased after him, completely ignoring Sollux as if he was no longer a threat, and he grew more stressed. Whatever was happening, he prayed his friends were okay, he prayed Saruna was in the same condition he last saw her, he prayed that Karkat could fend off the toothbeast and Terezi while avoiding killing her. A yelp from the toothbeast relieved him slightly; Karkat had surely struck the killing blow on it.

But when he heard it, when he heard Karkat stumble and fall to the ground, when he heard Saruna wail out, he knew everything was wrong. He heard the slash of Terezi's cane tearing someone's flesh, the splatter of blood on the ground. The higher pitched gasp of pain told him the wounded was Saruna. She had protected Karkat when his back was turned from slaying the toothbeast, caught off guard by Terezi's swift appearance, and she took the backslash meant for him to her chest. Her breathing was slight, turned into weak, pitiful wheezes; sounds that Sollux recognized as disheartening and undesirable to his ears. She was hurt again. Saruna was hurt.

"No!" Karkat caught her as she fell back. "Jegus, fuck, Saruna! Why did you fucking do that!? Why did you fucking protect me!?"

Sollux heard Erebus' laugh again, rumbling through the clouds as though amplified through the land. Erebus… he had done all of this. He had brought the distress to the universe, he had brought pain to Sollux's friends, he had harmed Saruna! Erebus had to be stopped, killed, maimed… and Sollux swore then, gritting his teeth tightly together, that it would be his hands to do it. The Gemini troll was pissed off now, a blind rage filling his veins completely. His eyes flared suddenly and as if he hadn't been shocked by lightning at all, nor wounded by a toothbeast, he rose to his feet ominously slow. Terezi noticed his sudden normality of movement and she spun around on him, twirling her blood soaked canes in her hands. Sollux barely looked at her when his entire body pulsed with surging red and blue, and she was enveloped in his psionics but nothing more than a glare. She screamed, her body convulsing as Sollux mercilessly tore Erebus out of her in seconds, unfazed by any resistance his smaller entity might have put up. Crushed in a matter of time, Erebus shrieked, the clouds swirling suddenly as though the main body of Erebus felt it as will.

Sollux levitated into the air as Terezi collapsed unconscious to the ground, Karkat moving to guard her while holding the stab wound on his stomach and watching Sollux with wide unbelieving eyes. He had never seen him so angry, so ruthless, so hungry for blood. It nearly frightened him.

"Erebus…!" The Gemini troll clenched his fists, glaring up at the black clouds in the sky. "I swear… I will fucking kill you when I discover how. Whether you show me your true face or not, I _will_ destroy you! You will _never_ harm my friends again if I can help it!"

The aura surrounding him grew in power, surging in unstable proportions, enough to kick up a startling wind. Karkat had to shield his eyes from the flying dust, unable to take his sight off of Sollux. He feared this unnatural power would drain him any moment, but Sollux did not waver once in his standoff with Erebus. The clouds shifted and boomed with thunder.

" _You spit these threats at me, but there is nothing you can do to stop me._ " Erebus finally answered. " _This new power from you is admirable, I can see it comes from hatred towards me. Let it consume you boy… Let the hatred control your actions. Just try to kill me, I dare you! You will not be able to hurt me at this pathetic level of yours._ "

Sollux growled, his hands becoming engulfed with wickedly flared psionics, "You want to fucking bet that? Show your true self and take a hit you bastard!"

Erebus laughed again, and Sollux felt the hairs on his neck rise with fury, " _How you make me laugh at you. Only when I believe the time is right will I reveal my true self to you, and it will be the day of regret for all of you. I shall let you live for now, for I want this game to continue as long as possible for my entertainment. Of course, that is if you fools even survive the night…! Enjoy losing your friends to death."_

At once, the black clouds began to move out of the atmosphere, but Sollux was not through with him. He roared with anger at Erebus mockery, firing an optic blast into the sky far stronger than the first used. Yet Erebus only laughed again, the attack blazing through the clouds as if it had no effect on the dark being whatsoever, and he disappeared entirely without a trace in the now blue tinged sky. Sollux screamed at him, cursing his name, demanding his return, calling him a coward, all possible despicable things he could think to say, but Erebus did not return no matter how much he yelled.

The longer it droned on, the more hateful Sollux became, but he was weakening with each passing moment that he realized Erebus would not come back despite his challenges. His psionics faded away, and he finally floated back down to the ground, continuing to spit detestable curses though more quiet each time. He fucking hated Erebus. He hated him so much. Feeling tears running down his cheeks only served to make him even more angry at him.

But it also reminded him that Terezi and Saruna needed him. It reminded him that he was too frantic, and needed to calm down before his lost all control. As much as he wanted to fight Erebus, he knew he was in no shape to do it, and neither was Karkat or Terezi or Saruna. They would have died if Erebus accepted his foolish challenge. He could have led them into their own deaths. Sollux slammed a fist onto the ground, curling over in his agony and allowing his tears to fall in shame and sorrow.

Failure.

That was the only word running through his mind. He had failed to protect his friends, failed to prevent anything terrible from happening, failed to defeat Erebus. His heart burned with defeat and searing loss. It hurt more than his torn leg by a landslide.

"Sol…!" A weary cry caught his attention.

 _KK…_ Sollux turned his head to his friend, who had both Terezi and a semi-conscious Saruna by him. Karkat needed his help. Saruna needed his help. He climbed to his feet, limping toward Karkat and his friends to assess the damage. As he had feared, Saruna bore the worst of it all, nearly every section of her body smothered by gaping wounds, scratches, gashes, or bites and claw marks. Her eyes were lidded, lips parted slightly with blood dribbling down her chin. Sollux worried for her life...

"S-Sollux… you did it… Erebus… is gone." Her voice was overwhelmingly frail, and Sollux felt more tears streak down his face, a mixture of his blood color and his psionics' abused use. "Did we… save Terezi?"

"She'll be okay." answered Karkat, though Sollux heard faint sorrow in his voice. He was just as afraid for Saruna's life as Sollux was. "Terezi is tough, she isn't taken down so easily."

"Good," Saruna relaxed slightly. "I'm relieved to… hear that…" She gasped gutturally, her body giving a violent tremble, and Sollux tenderly pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest comfortingly. A weak smile found her lips when she could feel his warmth against her. "Sollux… I'm so sorry that I can't protect myself… I really am a nuisance."

"Shut up… don't say that." Sollux shook his head at her, and glanced up at Karkat. "What can we do to save them…? Terezi's respiteblock is gone, we don't have a way back to my hive for medical things, and we are stuck here."

"I-I don't know Sol…" Karkat somberly admitted as he gathered Terezi, her cane, and his sickles into his own arms carefully. "I'm as lost as you are right now."

Sollux didn't want to hear that from Karkat of all trolls. Normally he had some plan thought up, even if it was irrelevant or ridiculous, but to hear him at a loss made Sollux frantic. There had to be something, anything, that they could do to save the two female trolls. Their wounds could not go untreated for too long or they would surely lose to death. Sollux looked around, but the canyons had nothing to offer him. He grunted in frustration, and clambered to his feet hastily, only to be reminded of his tattered leg and its reluctance to let him place pressure on it. With Saruna in his arms, the pressure was doubled, but he gritted his teeth with determination and stubbornness. Karkat was quick to follow his lead, lifting Terezi and wincing at the weakness of his body and the throb of his stomach's injury. Both trolls remained strong, however, resolved in their minds to save their friends.

Sollux knew he had forced out too much power in his episode of hate, so psionics was out of the question for a while against their aid. He and Karkat limped their way to the forest, avoiding one crevice by walking around it, but having to jump the other. Sollux's leg nearly gave out when he landed on the other side, and Saruna had gripped his shirt tightly out of fear that the wouldn't make it. How she managed to remain conscience was a mystery to the Gemini troll, after all she had lost many pints of blood by now, but he was able to tell if she was alive or not easily because of it.

Under the shade of the trees, Sollux and Karkat could see the smoke from Terezi's burning respiteblock. Vaguely, Sollux heard Karkat mumble an apology to Terezi about her home, his voice changing between bitter and regretful. He understood completely as it was, but he was too worried for their lives to be upset about anything else. It was true that if her respiteblock had not been destroyed, he would have felt far less stressed and panicked than he was now.

"Sollux…?" Saruna's frail voice called to him and he paused in place to listen to her. "Am… am I going to die…?"

He tried to hide his fear and the tension of his muscles that grew from her question, "No, Saruna… you won't die. I'm going to find something that will save you, I promise. Don't be afraid, just have faith in me."

She saw right through him. The unsatisfied, distinctly despondent filled stare she gave him told him he was caught red handed. Gog, he didn't know if she was going to die or not. He was holding to the hope that he could find a way to keep her alive somehow, and bring her back to health. She didn't deserve to die, not now, not here. Not when she had memories to obtain and remember, not when she needed the truth about her life. Yet, the cold hard truth was Sollux just plain did not want to lose her. He refused to lose another female troll friend because of his weakness, just like Aradia and Feferi. Not again… he couldn't bear it.

"Just hang in there Saruna…" Sollux realized how disheartened he sounded then, and he bit the inside of his lower lip, continuing forward with Karkat. "Don't… give up on me."


	11. Chapter 10: Moments of Kindness

Chapter 10: Moments of Kindness

They must have wandered for about an hour before Sollux had to rest for the sake of his leg. For the most part, in truth, Karkat had to yell at him to rest, but Saruna finally spurred him into listening. What good would come to them if he couldn't even walk? They settled under a particularly large tree and rested fleetingly. Sollux almost couldn't sit still, and in a few minutes he wanted to keep going, but Karkat berated him for being too stubborn. Ironic, coming from the most stubborn troll of all. Since they were resting, they assessed their own wounds, Sollux unable to believe how mangled his leg was from the toothbeast's bite. Karkat would have likely been better off than him if he hadn't received a stab to his stomach.

Needless to say, they were all in terrible shape, and they were starting to feel it too. Now that the adrenaline had died down, Sollux felt every sting and throb of any deep cut to his body, specifically his leg. Karkat appeared to be trying his best to remain as unfazed as he could, but it was clear in his eyes he was in severe pain. He kept a close eye on Terezi, similar to Sollux as he watched over Saruna intently. When she grimaced, he was quick to soothe her, and when Terezi showed signs of returning consciousness, Karkat would expectantly gaze upon her with hope filled eyes and trembling fingers. This time, however, her burnt red eyes slowly fluttered open and she immediately recoiled with a cry.

"Terezi!" Karkat hovered over her, pinning her shoulders down and preventing her from moving too much before she hurt herself more. She sniffed lightly and quickly, then stilled, her eyes widening with apparent realization.

"Karkat…?" Her voice was far more gentle than when she had been possessed by Erebus. "Karkat, is this really you?"

"Yeah… yeah it is me." Karkat confirmed, rubbing his thumbs gently over her shoulders. "I'm here Terezi… and Sollux is too."

She tilted her head in the Gemini trolls direction, inhaling gingerly, "There's someone else here too. Who is she? She has your blood color…" "Her name is Saruna," Karkat explained. "She helped us save you from that fuck-tard Erebus… Do you remember what happened to you Terezi? Do you know why you are like this? Why we are here?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in thought, and she eventually trembled. She remembered almost everything that had happened before she was finally possessed, from first smelling the dark evil looming over her planet, to the abnormal toothbeasts that surrounded her respiteblock. Everything went blank to her until then and now. Karkat took it on himself to explain all that had happened afterwards, starting with when he was rescued by Sollux and Saruna, all the way to where they were currently. Terezi soaked everything in like a sponge, occasionally wincing from her wounds, but otherwise paying full attention to the details. The entire explanation, told by Karkat nonetheless, took a good portion of time, and when he finished, Terezi sighed.

"Gog, I missed out on a crap ton of stuff." She said blithely. "Undoubtedly though, I want revenge. That bastard destroyed my home… my darling scalemates Inspector Berrybreath, Senator Lemonsnout, and Pyralspite…! Tell me we will bring justice to them…"

Karkat huffed, somewhere between a laugh and a grouchy sigh, "Yeah, we most definitely fucking will, just not right now. We need to recover from this, but Sol and I are at a loss… Since your respiteblock was fucking burned to the ground, we can't transportalize to Sollux's hive."

"Damn…" Terezi frowned, before she hissed and writhed with a groan. Karkat worriedly gazed over her, lost as to what he could do to help her. He cared about Terezi immensely, she was one of the few trolls he could be comfortable and less of a prick around… sometimes. The truth of the manner was he had tender feelings for her, but both had their uncertainty's in exposing how they felt, though it was brutally obvious. It also did not help that they had been in a matespriteship, but Karkat confused Terezi with red and black feelings, causing her to break it off. They managed to remain good friends afterwards, but to the other trolls, the interest they had in each other did not disappear.

Once Terezi settled again, Sollux was quick to jump on her calm demeanor, "Terezi, you know your planet better than any of us. Is there anything we can find here to lessen everyone's pain, even just a little?"

The blind Libra troll pondered, sniffing in the direction of Saruna. Despite being blind, she could smell and hear things that no one else could. Saruna's red blood was a cherry explosion to her smell, and she could hear the weakening beat of her heart in her keen ears. She knew the direness of the situation at hand, unwilling to allow a fellow troll to die. Her features scrunched in thought, and she inhaled deeply then. Slowly, her head turned to the opposite of Sollux, and she sniffed longingly, her eyes closing.

"Somewhere in this direction is a blue flower that can numb pain and heal small injuries." Terezi informed. "All this blood is blocking my senses though… so this is the best I can do for you, Sollux. I'm sorry."

"No," Sollux rose to his feet gingerly, determination flaring in his dual colored eyes. "It helps a lot, thanks. I will go get it. Karkat, watch over them for me while I'm away."

"Yeah, no problem." Karkat nodded. "Be careful." Sollux marched off, faintly hearing Saruna whimper behind him whether because she was in pain again, or if she was saddened and afraid by his departure. He mentally promised to return as quick as he could for her sake. The hour's rest both benefitted and set him at a drawback on his leg. It gave his leg plenty of rest, but forcing himself to walk on it now was nearly torture. He tested his psionics, cursing when that also hurt more than helped him. Walking was his only decision, but he decided that it was better for searching the ground for the flower Terezi described as blue. It couldn't have been far if she managed to find it amongst the scent of blood in the small group.

To his and everyone's luck, her smells had been true. Three crystal blue flowers swayed in a gentle breeze next to a small bush. Sollux retrieved them from the ground and hurried back. He prayed that nothing happened in his departure, and felt nothing but relief when the small trio was in the same place as they were before. Saruna's eyes locked with his the moment he stepped into the clearing and immediate relief washed over both of them.

Sollux gave Karkat two of the flowers, which Terezi confirmed to be the right ones, and took Saruna the last one, pulling her comfortably into his lap for elevation.

"Just eat the petals, nothing else." said Terezi. "They won't taste very good by the way."

Karkat's disgusted grunt confirmed her warning as he nibbled on a petal, "This tastes fucking disgusting! I swear, I'm going to fucking cut out my tongue after this!"

Sollux chuckled softly, offering petals to Saruna, who would not open her mouth. He frowned at her. She was clearly still alive, but why was she refusing treatment? His lips parted, ready to berate her and insist on her eating the petals, but he shut his mouth quickly. Without explanation, the Gemini troll paused, his shoulders sinking with realization. She was refusing only because he didn't have a flower for himself.

He sighed, "I will be fine Saruna… You need this way more than I do right now."

She shook her head, pinching her lips together. Tears were welling in her eyes, and Sollux felt like his heart sank to the bottom of his toes. He heard Terezi grumble about the taste, and Karkat cursing about how much he wanted to cut out his tongue, but neither of these brought a smile to his lips. He just wanted Saruna to get better, to eat the petals.

"Please Saruna…" Sollux gazed intensely into her eyes. "What must I do for you to eat these? Fuck, why am I even trying to bargain this with you? You _need_ to eat these, Saruna!"

"You're hurt too Sollux." Saruna stated, firmness coating her weak voice. "It isn't fair that you can barely walk and you are carrying me because I can't even stand by myself."

"You're going to make this difficult for me aren't you?" Sollux huffed, and he shook his head. "Okay… if I eat two, will you eat the rest?"

There were seven petals in all from the flower, two was pushing it in Sollux's mind. However, Saruna's features softened when he offered the idea. She stared at him with weary eyes for a few long seconds, before she whispered, "Make it three."

He honestly did not feel like arguing with her, so he agreed bitterly and ate his share while she took her own. Both cringed at the incredibly bitter taste, and Sollux unconsciously contorted his face in clear disgust. His expression must have been amusing, for Saruna let out a giggle, and he was relieved to hear the fluttering laughter. The medicinal effect of the petals seemed immediate, as Sollux no longer felt the throbbing pain in his leg, and his body notably relaxed shortly after eating them. Saruna appeared to feel better herself, much to his relief, though the wide slash across her chest still gleamed with blood. Everyone in the group seemed to be healthier in their own ways, though Karkat still smacked his lips every so often, remarking on the lingering taste. Terezi eventually laughed at him, remarking on his weak tastebuds, earning a silent glare and scowl from the mutant blooded troll.

He looked away from her momentarily toward Sollux, "Should we going to keep moving Sol? It's starting to get late now."

Sollux glanced skyward, only now realizing how dark it was becoming, "Not at this rate. We will rest here for the night, then if you know a way Terezi, you can tell us of some other way off of your planet."

Terezi grinned at him, "Of course there is another way silly. I'm not so stupid as to have had only one way out of here!"

"Yeah yeah." Sollux snorted, smirking back at her. "Get some sleep, I will keep watch for awhile, then I will wake you up later KK so I can sleep."

Karkat nodded at this, curling up on the floor not too far from Terezi. The Libra troll sighed and closed her eyes, unable to roll onto her side for a more comfortable rest. The moment Karkat appeared to realize this, he shifted closer, allowing her to use him as a pillow.

"How sweet of you…" She laughed lightly, and he grunted off her tease, threatening to pull away should she insist. Terezi bunched some of his shirt in her hand, and he sighed. He wouldn't get away if he tried.

Sollux eyed the two as they grew comfortable and fell into slumber, before having to strain just to see them in the dark of the night. He took a breath and sighed, listening intently to the sounds of the forest at night time, glancing up at the sky. Stars covered the sky in glistening beauty, filling it with every passing second that darkened the land around them. He wished he could feel at peace watching the bright lights, but the moment he heard a suspicious rustle nearby, he was on edge, eyes flaring threateningly and his hairs bristling.

"Sorry, that was me."

Sollux blinked, glancing down where Saruna rested in his lap. She had shifted her foot to get in a more comfortable position. His body relaxed, and he eased his psionics.

"Oh, that explains the noise." He stated. "I would rather it be you than a toothbeast or something. Are you comfortable?"

"Yes, I am." Saruna nuzzled against his leg, sighing. Sollux could tell her eyes were closed due to the fact he could not see the radiant dual colors of them. Their eyes were rather bright thanks to psionics; he had to wonder if he looked like a floating pair of pupil-less eyes in the darkness. "Will you be okay, Sollux, staying awake?"

"Heh, you don't have to worry about me." Sollux assured. "I am wide awake anyway, I will wake up KK when I get tired. Someone has to stay awake anyway, what with us being in a forest full of who knows what."

"Am I hurting your leg?" Saruna's eyes fluttered open partially, the glow of them catching Sollux's attention.

He grinned, though she probably couldn't tell, "No, those petals have numbed the pain quite a bit. I'm fine, I promise. Get some sleep, morning will be here sooner than we want it to be and we will keep moving." Her eyes closed again, and he felt her nod against his leg, "Okay… I will try." She was quiet for a moment and Sollux came to the belief that she was asleep when she spoke up shyly again. "Sollux…?"

"You're kind of failing at going to sleep Saruna." The Gemini troll chuckled. "I can't offer you any milk or water right now if thats what you need to fall asleep."

"No, I just… This is kind of embarrassing to ask." Saruna's eyes opened wide, staring up at Sollux. He returned her gaze with a curious expression. "Would you… stroke my hair?"

All he could do to keep himself from blushing, making a strange sound, or questioning her requests, was bite his inner cheek. The request mostly caught him off guard, but it wasn't by any means awkward. He watched her eyes flicker, likely from the chagrin of the situation she put herself in. It only took a few seconds of awkward silence before Saruna closed her eyes tightly, rolling hastily on her side and buried her face against Sollux's leg.

"Never mind, forget I asked, you don't have to do it." She spoke quickly and frantically, her hand scrunching up his jeans in a fisted bundle. "Good night Sollux."

He paused as she went still, stiff from mortification. Something in him went soft though, and he found himself smiling at her meek request. She was so innocent, so light hearted and sweet, he wondered why he allowed her to be injured. Resting his weight on his left hand, he searched for Saruna's face carefully, when his fingers brushed over her cheek accidentally, earning a light gasp from the timid female troll. Now he was blushing, feeling her body grow tense from his light skin to skin contact and catching the glow of her eyes shooting open with surprise. Avoiding her gaze desperately, his fingers felt up her face, avoiding the gash along her forehead, to the softness of her hair, slightly matted with dirt and blood, but still managing its silky smoothness. Drawing his hand to the top of her head, he slowly slid down in a petting motion, repeating the movement a few times slowly. Saruna relaxed under his touch immediately, a pleased, gentle sigh escaping her lips as she reluctantly closed her eyes again. Sollux continued to stroke her hair, and soon her breathing grew deep and smooth. She was finally asleep.

Sollux smiled, then he heard something rather rare; purring. Saruna was purring. Trolls could purr like cats, but only when they were content and comfortable. She would get a good rest at this rate, and that was just about all Sollux could hope for. Straightening himself so he could assure himself to stay awake, Sollux continued his gentle strokes and gazed up at the stars in the dark sky to pass the night away.


	12. Chapter 11: Nightmare Memories

**Hello everyone! I can't believe how many people have read so far! It surprises me to no end, but I'm super happy! I'm incredibly bored on my summer break, but I hope you guys are liking yours! I don't really know what else to say, except I don't own Homestuck. Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 11: Nightmare Memories

" _Hey babe, look over here!_ "

Saruna's eyes slowly fluttered open to darkness. She didn't feel any pain, though her body floated in complete limbo in the surrounding blackness. For a split moment, she was terrified that Erebus had got to her, but she recalled falling asleep safely in Sollux's arms. So… the only explanation was she had to have been dreaming. Her thoughts were jumbled, but she recalled hearing a voice in the depths of the darkness. She didn't recognize it to be anyone's she knew, or at least remembered. In a bright flash, the darkness around her lit up, and she had to shield her eyes for a moment before her feet touched firm ground, wobbling from surprise and uncertainty. Removing her arms from her eyes, Saruna looked around, confusion settling in.

All around her was greenery, plants and trees and flowers under a bright lit sky. It looked nothing like Sollux's planet, nor Terezi's or Karkat's. Clouds scattered across the sky, stained pink despite the sun being clearly out. Butterflies flittered through the air, landing on the flowers occasionally to suckle the nectar and gather pollen. Saruna noted the streaks of red and blue aura flowing in ribbon wavelengths through the sky as well. Red and blue… like her and Sollux's psionics. She couldn't sense energy coming from them though, and guessed they were natural to the land around her. Out of nowhere then, a figure dashed by her unannounced, and she jumped from fear, only to calm again when she realized it was a female troll based on their slender build from behind. Saruna opened her mouth to speak, but words would not come out.

 _Have I gone mute?_ She tried again, receiving the same result. _Well, since it is a dream, I guess I can just follow whoever that was, though they came out of nowhere. It was like they didn't even notice me._

The Gemini troll chased after the other, lead through the forest like area to a vast field. Eagles and swallows soared throughout the field, and Saruna paused at the top of a hill to soak in her new surroundings. Another troll waited at the bottom, his arms waving more than likely at the girl that passed Saruna. He, also, did not seem to notice her presence. When the female troll reached the male, they embraced, sharing a kiss. Saruna suddenly felt intrusive on the couple, but she watched with fascination and wonder and the two held hands. She could hear them talking, loud and clear as if she was beside them.

" _I'm glad to see you're feeling better._ " The female troll's voice was agonizingly familiar. _"You need to be more careful with your powers, or they will consume you!_ "

The male laughed, waving off her concern, " _Baby I'm fine. These powers are so fucking awesome though! No one stands a chance against me._ "

Saruna analyzed what they looked liked as well as she could, though the females backside was difficult to get anything from. The male, however, was taller than the female by about a foot and rigid in stature. His black hair lazily cascaded over his head neatly, dancing over his eyes a little. His horns were pointed inward, almost touching at their tips. His casual appearance made him seem peaceful and incredibly laid back, though how he spoke gave off a tougher aura. Saruna couldn't see the symbol of his shirt well enough to decide what he was, but the color appeared to be a light cerulean blue. When Saruna tried analyzing the girl a little, she could only point out how oddly similar her horns were to her own. " _Didn't I ask you to not call me baby?_ " The female troll said, her voice becoming firm, though laughter bubbled from her lips afterwards. " _Honestly Erebus… be kind to me._ "

Saruna felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise at once. She hesitated, however. Erebus wasn't a troll, he was a demonic being in the appearance of black clouds. And the female… what was she doing with him? A part of Saruna felt an intense fear suddenly.

Was this more than a dream…?

She raced down the hill to get a closer look at the couple, specifically the female, and as she reached them, her heart ceased its beatings. Her eyes widened with disbelief as she stared at herself nearly face to face. What was this nightmare? Had Erebus invaded her body to give her this disturbing dream? Or… was it a memory?

" _Alright I'm sorry, Saruna._ " The troll Erebus apologized, a smug smirk lifting his lips, and the name only served to further confirm Saruna's fears.

The mirror of her smiled up at him, nuzzling against his broad chest with a content sigh. Saruna backed away, shaking her head in defiance as tears flowed freely from her eyes. This couldn't be true. This couldn't have been something from her past!

At once the scene before her disappeared, and she was placed in a new scene. Chaos and destruction surrounded her, fire and death everywhere. Saruna covered her mouth, an inaudible gasp escaping as she saw a child troll dead on the ground, clinging to a doll in his passing. The sky was black with clouds, undeniably Erebus' doing now. Her eyes avoided the child, and she looked to the clouds in anger. The mirror Saruna raced by her again, this time with psionics surrounding her in pulsating waves. From a bundle of clouds, Erebus came into sight through a falling mist of black to the ground. His eyes were purely jet-black and demonic, his toothy smirk sending chills down Saruna's spine.

" _I told you baby… you should have came with me!_ " Erebus' voice was raspy, laced with malice and hate. The voice Saruna most recognized. " _I loved you Saruna, why didn't you come with me?_ "

" _How can I love a murderer like you!?_ " The mirror Saruna snarled, her hands becoming surrounded in a powerful aura of red and blue while her eyes flared violently. How much power did she have? " _Look at our home! You have destroyed our home Erebus, I will never forgive a monster like you!_ " She screamed out, a pulse of psionics firing from around her, sending out a massive gust of wind. Erebus laughed at her, black enveloping him completely as the mirror Saruna made a mad sprint at him. Before they collided, however, Saruna squeezed her eyes shut, covering her head and falling to the ground with a silent scream.

How could this be her past? How could she have been with Erebus as a matesprite? It just didn't make sense! Why did all of this happen? What had happened to Erebus? Questions upon questions flooded Saruna's mind, and she screamed again. This scream echoed loudly, bloodcurdling and hopeless. She refused to open her eyes, refused to see what was laid before her, refused to acknowledged what some of her past really was. But why…? Why could she see it now? Was it all even the truth? A sob heaved from the torn troll.

It couldn't be true… None of this could have been true.

"Someone…" Her voice had finally returned, but it was full of fear, disbelief, and pain. "Anyone…wake me up… stop this nightmare…!"

" _I loved you Saruna… what did I do wrong to make you fucking hate me so much?_ "

Saruna opened her eyes, but it was only her in complete darkness again. The tears fell from her eyes in waves and she began to panic. His voice was speaking from her lost memories, events that she just couldn't bring back. Anything he said was lost in her distress as she slowly curled up into a ball.

" _We were supposed to be matesprites forever baby, now your hatred is so strong we can't even be in a fucking black quadrant together. That's your own damn fault, and now you will pay the fucking price for leaving me!_ "

Saruna wept, trying to ignore him to her best ability. She wished this wasn't the truth, wished Erebus was not an ex matesprite to her. How could she have loved a monster like him? Why did she love him? Her heart ached with grief on discovering a possible truth, but she could not break free from sleeping. She prayed for help… she prayed for Sollux. He was the only troll she could think of to help her. After all, he had always helped her when she needed him, even when he was at his weakest.

By some miracle, just as she began to think of the Gemini troll, his voice rang softly in her ears coaxing her from her feeble position. She slowly uncurled herself, lifting her head to see him standing feet away from her, a genuine, light smile on his lips. Saruna didn't hear Erebus anymore as she rose to her feet and raced into Sollux's arms. He pulled her tight against him, stroking the back of her head soothingly.

"It's going to be okay Saruna…" He promised, his lisp a familiar and tender sound to her. "I won't let you get hurt…"

And Saruna trusted every word he said without an ounce of doubt.


	13. Chapter 12: To Care is to Pity

Chapter 12: To Care is to Pity

When he found her crying and fidgeting in discomfort the next morning after Karkat awoke him, Sollux was quick to coax Saruna awake. He gently shook her where she was least injured and called her name repeatedly, telling her things would be okay, that she was safe. Her dual colored eyes eventually fluttered open, allowing the remainder of her tears to flow free. The first thing that came across her expressions was relief, like she was free from a torturous nightmare, then it became full of grief. Sollux silently pulled her against him to comfort her, not wanting to ask her to remember what she dreamed about. There wasn't a lot of time on their hands anyway, Karkat and Terezi were ready to keep moving now that they were all awake. Terezi managed to stand on her own two feet, but Karkat indefinitely kept an eye on her in case she may have stumbled or if her legs would give out on her after a while of walking. Sollux pulled back from Saruna, gazing her in the eye carefully. She had certainly calmed down some after his embrace.

"Do you think you can walk Saruna?" He asked her, and she pondered for a moment before nodding slowly. Sollux lifted an eyebrow at her, uncertainty clouding his expression. "Are you sure…?"

"Yeah, I think I can do it." She insisted, so Sollux rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. It took only a moment of standing for her to collapse against his chest with a gasp. Sollux was quick to catch her both in his arms, and his psionics. He gave her a disapproving snort, setting her back on the ground and turning his back to her, offering a piggy back ride. Saruna refused him, "I'll get blood on your shirt."

"Holy shit Saruna, I don't care about that! Just get on, make this easier for me, please." Sollux said brusquely, a frown evident on his expression.

Once she swallowed her pride and climbed onto his back snuggly, he stood, slightly wobbly from the additional pressure on his still weakened leg, but stood firm. Terezi sniffed the air, and she laughed, facing the two Gemini trolls. "Wow Sollux, what a gentletroll you have become." She remarked. "It's so romantic of you to carry the poor girl!"

Sollux scowled at her, holding back an insistent blush from her teasing comment, "Shut up TZ. She's still too weak to stand on her own compared to you. I'll make sure to tease you when KK has to carry you around when you get weak too."

The Libra troll stuck her tongue out at him and set off, Karkat sticking close behind her like a guard beast. Sollux made sure Saruna was situated comfortably before he followed after them, feeling her cheek press against his shoulder. Terezi had only said she knew where to go to get off the planet, but she hadn't specified any areas to be peculiar. He trusted the blind troll to lead him in the right direction. Blind as she was, she was completely capable of leading them to the right destination with her keen nose and ears. Hell, even her tongue could get them there. They traveled for hours, miles completed under their feet until Terezi finally gave in to her weakness after a long time of stubborn refusal and stumbling. She didn't have a chance to fall over before Karkat was pulling her onto his back, grumbling that she had walked way longer than she should have. She merely sighed, too tired to put up an argument with him and holding tight to him. Sollux lowly chuckled as Karkat persisted his rant, shaking his head, and deciding he wouldn't tease her.

"Sollux, aren't you tired…?" Saruna chirped from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. "We have been walking for a long time, why don't we all take a break somewhere? I am sure your leg needs rest especially…"

Sollux slowed his steps to glance back at her, grinning gently, "Don't worry, I'm fine Saruna. Terezi said we are pretty close now, we just have to get halfway up a mountain I guess. Though I can't see shit with all these trees, so who knows if we are close to some mountains, or if she just wants to keep going."

"What if you flew above these trees to see where we are?" inquired Saruna. "You can set me down here and- ah!"

Sollux was quick to listen to her first statement, floating into the air with her clinging tighter to him from the surprise of rising into the air. He snickered at her shocked cry as she grasped his shirt, rising above the tree line to see the world beyond. Indeed the mountains were less than a mile away from their footed journey, and looking behind, the canyon was barely recognizable to the naked eye. Sollux could have swore that Saruna's legs had his waist in a secure scissor lock and he glanced back at her with lightly sparking eyes.

"Holy crap, calm down." He said in a subtle teasing voice, and the frightened troll gave him an incredulous glare, before burying her face into his shoulder. "Flying isn't scary, it's amazing. Look around, take in the sights! You weren't bothered when we flew around yesterday searching for Terezi. I'm sure since you have psionics like me, you probably flew around in your past life."

She shook her head against him, and her defiance brought a crude idea to his mind. His eyes flickered a little more and Saruna was carefully peeled off of him in the same position she was in, forced backwards slowly to not disturb her to greatly. Of course, she wasn't stupid, and she felt the change almost immediately once Sollux's presence lessened. Her eyes shot open and she released a head splitting scream of fear. Sollux squinted at her.

"Is that necessary?" He asked her and she growled at him.

"Sollux, this isn't funny!" She barked, struggling to move though unable to in his dauntless grip. "Bring me back to you, set me down on the ground, do something! Just do it now!"

For a moment, Sollux pondered if he should toy with her for the fun of it, but the longer she fidgeted and whimpered, he decided against it. She was actually very frightened, the fear written all over her face and panicking her would not help her health at all. Guilt striking him hard, Sollux pulled her back to him, just as Karkat's boisterous voice yelled out from under the trees,

"Damn it Sollux and Saruna, you had better not be fucking snogging up there! I turn my back on you two for one fucking minute and you go floating off up there when we don't have time to waste!"

"Calm your bulge down KK!" Sollux hissed, returning to the ground with Saruna on his back again, her grip on him far tighter than last time. "I was seeing how much further the fucking mountain was, okay?"

"What did you do to scare Saruna?" interrogated Terezi, her nose lifting from Karkat's shoulder. "I can smell nothing but fear. Did he try to touch you or something?" She grinned at her sly comment, cackling when Sollux dropped his gaze with a sigh, saying nothing. "Ooh Sollux, I didn't know you were such a pervert!"

As unsettled as Saruna was, she recognized the look of guilt over Sollux's face, further serving to make him appear as though he did just as Terezi assumed. She timidly spoke up to defend him, "That's not what happened. I was… scared by a bird is all."

Terezi gave her a surprised look, but shortly afterwards smiled and leaned into Karkat again. She was obviously only teasing the two, aware that Sollux was frankly a gentleman of a troll. Saruna would have to get used to her manner of speaking quickly, otherwise she feared she would offend the blind troll on accident. Karkat groaned, spinning around on his toes and stomping off, holding Terezi firmly against him.

"We don't have anymore time to fucking waste!" He complained bitterly. "If we want to get the fuck out of here, and do _something_ about these injuries, I suggest we get moving and stop twiddling our fucking fingers."

"Oh come on Karkles, don't be like that!" laughed Terezi, and the two proceeded to have a back and forth banter of either Karkat's belligerent arguing or Terezi's flirtatious teasing.

Sollux silently followed behind them, his head hung over slightly. He was doing it again, Saruna thought, blaming and criticizing himself for scaring her in the air. True, she had been terrified finding herself floating in mid air away from Sollux, but seeing him like this broke her. Leaning against him, she purposely nuzzled his hair to get his attention. When that didn't seem to affect him, she blew into his ear, sending a noticeable shiver down his spine.

"What the hell?" He yipped, shooting a flustered look back at Saruna. "What in Skaia was that for?"

"Cheer up," Saruna said, lowering her voice for him to only hear. "I'm sorry I was afraid up there, but I don't think heights are my thing anymore. It isn't your fault though, so please don't beat yourself up over it."

His eyelids lowered and he sighed, "Damn, you already see right through me don't you? We have only known each other for about a week now and you can tell when I am beating myself up already. Then again, I guess it isn't hard to miss."

"Not really." Saruna smiled and he clicked his tongue in defeat, returning a soft grin and continuing forward.A few feet in, Saruna muttered, "Eleven days."

"Huh?" Sollux glanced at her quickly before focusing on the path again to watch where Terezi told Karkat to go. "Eleven days for what?"

"Since we first met…" whispered the Gemini female, as she rested against him again. "When I woke up on your bed with no memory. Technically, meeting you that day is my first memory now, Sollux."

She heard him chuckle and knew he was smiling without having to see it. They traveled further until they reached the base of the mountain, the trees parting away slowly but surely. Sollux gazed up the mountain and huffed tiredly, glancing over at Karkat who looked just as tired despite having carried less weight than Sollux for the most part. His blood red eyes met Sollux's heterochromatic ones and they silently came to an agreement to rest their legs for a while. Setting the two females to the ground, they simultaneously sighed in relief at the loss of extra weight and plopped onto the ground beside them. Sollux didn't want to admit it, but Jegus did his leg hurt. The effect of the petals almost seemed non existent now, but for the groups sake, he bit the inside of his cheek and put on a brave face.

"Terezi, how much further do we have to fucking walk?" grumbled Karkat, as he carefully rested a hand over his stomach. "It's going to be dark again before we get anywhere."

"Oh calm down Karkat." Terezi snorted. "Like I said, its a little halfway up this mountain on the side. However, if you or Sollux don't think you can make it in about an hour then we should stop here and rest until-"

"No." Sollux interrupted quickly. "You and Saruna need attention, especially Saruna. We can't wait another night, infection will surely set in and the damage will be permanent. It doesn't help that KK has that wound on his stomach either. I'm tired, but I'm not gonna let another day pass with you guys hurt. Come on, let's keep moving."

He pushed himself onto his feet, gritting his teeth as his leg stubbornly defied his movement. A mere minute of rest was not agreeing with him, but he pressed on, reaching for Saruna who pulled away from him in refusal.

"Sollux, you're pushing yourself." She criticized. "Please, we will be okay, you don't need to do this to yourself."

The Gemini troll huffed, a hint of annoyance slipping over his expression. No, he wasn't going to risk losing any of them to death. Not when he was so close to getting them to the safe haven of his hive. Glancing up the mountain, Sollux scanned for the path Terezi insisted upon, and when he didn't find it, he finally had enough. His eyes flickered as he focused intensely, enveloping Saruna, Terezi, and Karkat in his psionics and lifting them into the air despite their surprised curses and shrieks. Softly groaning, he pulled the three trolls closer to each other while lifting himself into the air simultaneously.

"Sollux, what are you doing!?" Saruna panicked. "You'll hurt yourself!"

"I'm getting us home." Sollux said bluntly, his eyes beginning to spark brighter. "There's no way I'm going to let any of you die here."

Saruna opened her mouth to fight him, but he gave her a fierce silencing stare that left her speechless. She wouldn't be able to stop him if she tried, and being trapped in his psionics, she couldn't move anyway. Karkat appeared to be in obvious discomfort floating in the air, curses slipping from his mouth in an unrighteous aggravation, while Terezi seemed unfazed by it, actually laughing in joy when she realized she was flying. Saruna was nervous, not because her feet weren't touching the ground, but for Sollux and him possibly abusing his abilities when he was still quite weak. However, she knew he would succeed in his mission; he always persevered until the end, especially for his friends. It was a trait she came to both admire and concern about Sollux. The dual colored eyes troll, keeping up his concentration in holding his allies, levitated up the mountain swiftly, trying to remain stoic in his climb. Saruna didn't miss any off his falters, however. She saw when he shuddered or jerked from strain, and it served only to make her further pity and feel concern for him.

"Sollux, the cave entrance is close!" announced Terezi. "Just make a left here and you'll see it."

Taking her advice, Sollux banked left, and as the blind troll had said, a cave opened to them. He entered the mouth of the cave and set his friends down on the ground, gasping as his powers were finally relaxed.

"Holy shit, don't do that again without a fucking warning Sollux!" hissed Karkat. "Fuck, my blood pumper is going to explode any second now! It's an absolute fucking uncouth move to just ravel us into your psionics and send us flying through the air without so fucking much as a warning or a mutter or… something!"

Sollux placed a hand to his chest as he panted heavily, eyes crackling lightly as he tried to stay balanced on his feet. Whether he was listening to Karkat or not, Saruna couldn't tell, but she personally wasn't listening herself, watching Sollux timidly until he removed his hand from his chest and took slower breaths. Though she could only really see his eyes, the light of the sun outlined his figure well, and she could tell if he was hunched over or not. He moved over to her and she reached for him once he was in arms reach. His breath hitched when he noticed how unnaturally pale she looked suddenly, compared to hours before, and her hold on his arm was… weaker than it should have been.

"You shouldn't have done that Sollux…" She fretted necessarily. "Are you in pain?"

"I'm fine Saruna." Sollux said all too familiarly, his eyes scanning over her carefully. "We… we're almost to safety now. It was worth the…" He paused, realizing that he definitely couldn't admit his struggle to the worried Gemini female or the situation would only be made worse with her nagging at him like a lusus. "The… use of energy."

He mentally thanked Terezi when she piped up, getting everyone's attention. "Okay, we're almost there. Just follow me and we will get to the secret transportalizer."

"Why the hell couldn't you tell us where you were taking us in the first place?" grumbled Karkat. "I've been wondering where the fuck we have been going and it's just another transportalizer, not that I'm complaining, I thought we would be stranded on your planet with no way out, so frankly this is a fucking pleasant surprise."

Terezi groaned at the nubby horned troll, waiting for Sollux to pull Saruna onto his back with her reluctant permission again before gathering the small group in a single line and having them hold each others shirts as she lead them deeper into the cave. It wasn't a journey without Karkat occasionally tripping on a stray bulging stone in which Terezi would warn of after the stumble was finished and he was a cursing grouch. Besides the clomp of their feet on the cold hard ground, and the sound of their ragged tired breaths, the cave was eerily quiet and unsettling. Soon, however, light began to filter the darkness and the trolls released each others clothing, able to freely walk on their own again.

Terezi sniffed lightly, her lips curving into a smile. "Ah, smells like we're here." She proudly announced, and indeed a lone transportalizer rested on the ground in a well lit section of the cave. "Okay, so we're going to Sollux's hive?"

"Yeah." Sollux confirmed, partially desiring to ask the girl how she knew this transportalizer was in the cave, but deciding against it for the sake of time. "We can rest there then choose what to do next after we are all healed up."

Karkat nodded at him, moving toward the transportalizer and standing on it, disappearing in a flash of light. Sollux grinned knowing that it worked correctly, and motioned Terezi to go before him, but the blind Libra troll didn't move. Her eyes looked as though they were focused intensely on him, her nose inhaling deeply. He nearly asked her what was wrong, but she spoke first, her voice firm and demanding, "Sollux, get to your hive now."

"What…?" Before Sollux had time to question, Saruna went completely limp against him, her entire weight bearing on him now. She was shaking, breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating. Sollux had to grip her tighter before she slipped off of him. "Saruna!? Are you okay, Saruna!?"

"She's gone into shock Sollux!" Terezi yelled. "Go now!"

He was running to the transportalizer before she finished speaking, willing the both of them to his hive with the bright light. Normally the scent of honey was an immediate relaxer to him, but not this time. Karkat was barely getting through the door by the time Sollux was racing past him to his bedroom, leaving him agitated until he noticed how limp Saruna was. Shortly after his realization, Terezi was dashing past him, demanding he grab hot water and towels. Sollux was desperate to save her before it was too late, but he was terrified that he already was too late. He used his psionics to set her on his bed gently, ignoring his bees as they hummed irritably at him for his absence until he finally snapped his fingers at them and out them to sleep. Terezi had grabbed his emergency medical kit that he personally didn't remember where it had been since he never expected such severity of wounds.

"Get her shirt off Sollux." commanded Terezi. "Don't be modest about it either, we need to tear strips off to make tourniquets to stop her bleeding."

Sollux didn't hesitate tearing his blood-soaked shirt off of her, handing it to Terezi who proceeded to rip it apart in strips while Sollux tended to her more severe wounds. She was unresponsive to them the entire time, and when Karkat finally brought in water and towels, he was less than helpful just staring at her tattered body, specifically the gash across her chest that was supposed to be for him, guilt filling his ruby eyes. Every few minutes, Sollux called to Saruna, hoping for a response every time, but she remained still and silent, wheezing and shivering violently. They worked through the night, doing all they could in their power, mending bandaging, sewing together split skin, until they stopped the bleeding and patched up the worst. The sun was returning over the mountains when they finished, and Sollux was granted better view to her injuries with the natural light and his hive's electricity simultaneously. He was exhausted, head pounding from a headache, worry, and a litter of macabre voices that he wanted to stop.

 _She was gone, it was hopeless, let her go, too late to save her_ …

"Shut up!" Sollux gripped his head desperately, his outcry startling Terezi and Karkat who were mending each others wounds. "She isn't gone… it's not too late! We saved her just in time… didn't we…?"

"Fuck Sollux, you need to get some sleep." insisted Karkat, wincing when Terezi pressed on his stomach. "I get that you're worried about her, but you need to get some rest too."

"I won't be able to if I tried." Sollux sighed, weariness clear in his raspy, tired voice. "I just need to know that she's okay…" His gaze never left her face, watching for something, anything, to reassure himself that she was recovering. Her fragile torn body lifted with every breath she took, her long lashes gracing her cheekbones gently in her sleep. "She… can't die like Aradia and Feferi…"

"…So that's what this is." Karkat perked, focusing on the Gemini troll. "You feel responsible for her because she is close to you, like Aradia and Feferi were? Look Sollux, don't blame yourself for her pain at all, I don't need your bipolar shit now, so I'm putting this across on you."

Sollux said nothing, but his shoulders sank further than they were at the Cancer trolls typical blunt honesty. He was right though, he had been mentally beating himself up over Saruna's condition, and he had felt nothing but responsible for protecting her. Aradia and Feferi were dead because he couldn't save them after all. He had red feelings for the both of them, feelings that were allowed for such a short time.

"Sol…" Karkat called him out of his thoughts. "Be honest with me, do you have red feelings for Saruna?"

This question made Sollux give Karkat a quick glance of astonishment before he ducked his head quickly, "N-no! I just… I feel bad that she… I feel like I… have to protect her! She's so damn innocent and she has amnesia and she…" Sollux felt his blood pumper ache the further he went in his denial. He shook his head, trying to deny it further, but his words spoke differently. "I pity her… and I want to help her… Erebus has ruined her life, so I… I pity her."

The room went silent, and Sollux returned his gaze to the unconscious girl in his bed. Terezi had remained ominously silent in the manner, but she finished up cleaning the stab on Karkat's stomach, wrapping a large bandage around it. She stood then, and departed the room, almost as though she was respecting the males privacy. Sollux knew she was intrigued by their conversation, but the seriousness of the conversation and situation left her unable to crack appropriate jokes or teasing. She understood, anyway, when to offer privacy.

Trolls were definitely different when it came to romance, and pity was just another term for affection and caring about someone. Having admitted that he pitied her, Sollux had no way to defend himself should Karkat continue his delve into his romantic interests, but the normally loquacious troll said nothing more, even in the passing minutes.

When the silence continued, he finally said, "Sol… I've known you since we were grubs. You were probably the one troll out of all of us, that was able to have a stable relationship to call a true matespriteship. I get it, Aradia and Feferi are gone, just like many of the other trolls we knew, but you can't let that take over you and make you a fucking wimp. I haven't known Saruna as long as you, but I can tell you two care about each other, and fuck you don't get how many trolls wish they had that. I know, I'm probably sticking my foot in my fucking talk blaster, but you need to get it Sol. Just… think about it. And get some fucking sleep…"

Sollux didn't have to look at Karkat to know the nubby horned troll departed the room to get some greatly needed sleep. He pressed his head into the palm of his hand with a heavy sigh, his eyelids heavy. Did he really pity Saruna so much that he was beginning to feel red for her? It was almost the last thing he wanted, he feared it would lead in the same direction like it seemed to always have. Yes, he had a stable relationship with Aradia and Feferi, in friendship and matespriteship, but he lost both of them in a matter of less than a few hours. Whether he was cursed to lose anyone he grew to have tender feelings for, he didn't know, but as the Mage of Doom, he always knew when death reared its ugly face. Gog, he hated it with a passion, but living with it for years, he got used to it. That was, until they spoke when someone he cared about, telling him that they were at the risk of death themselves.

Sollux sighed heavily, removing his dual colored glasses and running his hand over his face, looking back at Saruna as he set his glasses down on the bed. Sitting up was becoming a challenge in his fatigue, but he was determined to watch over the Gemini female. By her side, he couldn't move very much as it was, and he had very little energy to do so anyway. However, in a matter of minutes, he found himself nodding off against his will. Maybe he should just… lay down for a few minutes. Now that his leg was cared for, he felt more comfortable climbing over Saruna to the other side of the bed. Needless to say, the moment his head touched the pillow, Sollux was fast asleep.


	14. Chapter 13: The Worst Warning

**Hi everyone! I want to take this time to thank FantasyLoveFiction for the wonderful reviews! I really appreciate them, so thank you! And thank you to everyone who has read this story! This is a little bit of a short chapter soooo maybe I will post another one soon. Enjoy! I do not own Homestuck at aaalllll!**

Chapter 13: The Worst Warning

Sollux recognized the darkness around him immediately, and every hair on him stood in tension. He felt Erebus all around him, trapping him in the black of a nightmare. What did the damn monster have to say now? His eyes flickered irritably, prepared to fight even in this nightmare, when he heard a voice call to him gently. It didn't sound like Saruna.

He… he knew that voice. The hairs standing lowered, and his eyes ceased their sparks, widening as he came to realize just who that voice belonged to. He hadn't seen her in his dreams for quite a while now. Spinning around, he came face to face with the Aries troll, deceased in real time, but alive in his dreams.

Aradia Megido, as stoic as she had been before death, stared at Sollux with clear pupil-less white eyes, her luscious red lips parted slightly as she tilted her head at him. Her long gleaming black hair shifted with her movement, twining around her curled ram-like horns. She didn't offer Sollux a smile, nothing of a pleasant greeting, but that was how she was; enigmatic, introverted, and certainly unpredictable. She could hear voices in her head similar to Sollux, though rather telling of potential deaths and dangerous occurrences, hers revealed impending dooms and tragedies like future telling. Rather than dangerous psionics as well, she had psychic powers at her use. Sollux straightened himself, fixing his glasses as they comically tilted against all will.

"Hello Sollux," Aradia stated simply, but the two words were enough to soothe the Gemini troll immensely.

"Aradia, it's been some time since I encountered you in a dream bubble." He pointed out in a hushed tone. "How have you-"

The Aries troll shook her head at him, "This isn't a dream bubble Sollux. You know as well as I do, that this is a warning."

He felt defeated by the fact, but it was bluntly obvious since they were surrounded by black rather than a familiar zone far more peaceful than that could ever be. Honestly, he was trying to find the better of the dark situation. Sighing, he decided to get the worst of it out of the way now.

"What is it then…?" Sollux asked. "What is the warning of this dream?"

Aradia blinked once, then twice at him, her expression difficult to read, "I don't know Sollux, it is something you must discover yourself. You have had a warning nightmare before have you not? Take that one as your example, use it to decipher what you have in here."

Sollux groaned at her, but he understood what she was telling him to do. Nonetheless, he had no idea what to pull from this dream to consider a warning. Aradia was dead, and he was the only other being floating in the limbo void. In his first nightmare after Saruna came into his life, he had been warned about Karkat, Terezi, and Kanaya all being possessed by Erebus and forced under his control to fight against him. Saruna had been swallowed up by the clouds, and Sollux was brutally murdered by his allies, unable to save them. All in all, the nightmare informed him that Karkat, Terezi, and Kanaya were in trouble, and of the entire problem in the first place being Erebus. Here in this dream, however, it was only Aradia and him with Erebus surrounding them. The Gemini troll frowned, staring Aradia dead in the eyes.

"If you're the only one here… are you coming back Aradia?" He sounded hopeful, but frightened. Having Erebus with them was disconcerting. "Will you be brought back to life?"

Aradia didn't answer, rather turning her head away from him and gazing off into the lost void, bringing distress to Sollux. He just wanted to know what was coming soon, so he could be ready for it. If Aradia was returning, he had no complaints, but if there was a consequence to the idea, he needed preparation. Aradia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, her head lowering slightly as she sighed. Sollux stared at her expectantly, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Erebus can control anyone or anything as long as it was once alive." She explained. "You saw he had complete possession over the toothbeasts, and he even had Karkat and Terezi trapped until you saved them."

"Yeah…" Sollux nodded. "What's your point?"

She looked at him, and chills were sent down his spine. Her eyes were pitch black, soulless and possessed. Sollux stepped away from her, trembling against his will when she lifted a hand, palm flat against the air.

"I was once alive Sollux." She said, her voice tainted and rasping with Erebus' voice. "He can easily use me against you… to stop you."

"No Aradia, that's not true is it!?" Sollux bemoaned, alarmed when her hand faintly began to glow. "Tell me this can't happen! Tell me I can prevent you from being possessed by that bastard!"

He gasped when he lost control of his body, Aradia holding him in her psychokinesis, squeezing her hand closed slowly. Sollux screamed in pain the further her hand lowered, forming into a fist bit by bit. She was perfectly aligned for a straight shot optic blast, but he didn't feel anything inside of him to fight back. It was Aradia after all, how could he fight her? Her hand was nearly a complete fist and he felt like he would be crushed any moment then. His skull felt like it was pressuring his brain, and his ribs felt like they were cracking. He couldn't even scream anymore, breathing was out of the question. His glasses shattered, crumpled over the bridge of his nose before falling to an unseeable ground.

Sollux watched Aradia with a broken stare, teeth gritted and thoughts disorientated, when the blackness around them suddenly surged and pooled cluttered next to Aradia in swirling clouds. The Gemini troll had least expected the clouds to form into a tall male troll with cascading ebony hair dancing over his deep black irised eyes. He smirked at Sollux, teeth sharply pointed like his inward pointed horns as he leaned against Aradia, chin near her neck while his lips floated inches away from her facial frame. A cerulean blue cloud symbol was on his shirt, completely different from the typical astrology sign given to trolls at their hatching.

Sollux strained to stay alive just a little longer, memorizing how the troll looked, but he knew immediately. The darkness that once surrounded them was gone, leaving the three in a burning field of wild fire. All the darkness had concentrated into this single new troll that Sollux didn't have to meet to know who he was.

" _Are you ready to fucking die Sollux?_ " Erebus cynically growled. " _It's only a matter of time now, I look forward to it._ "

Aradia had completed closing her fist before Sollux could feel any true wrath toward Erebus. Every bone in his body snapped, his heart bursted, his lungs collapsed and his skull crumbled. His yellow blood came gushing from his mouth as everything went dark again, Erebus' laughter filling the void once again.


	15. Chapter 14: Her Lost Past is Cruel

**Yeaaah I ended up posting another chapter. Hehe so, I hope you enjoy this next chapter and I also hope summer is still going well for everyone! Unfortunately updates are going to start slowing down, as it is getting to where I am currently writing. Nevertheless, I will do my best to update as much as I can!**

Chapter 14: Her Lost Past is Cruel

Sollux woke up screaming in the night, jumping up from laying down into a sitting position and slamming a hand to his chest as he frantically hyperventilated. Sweat dripped down his brow, and his heart was racing, but he was glad to feel it after that nightmare. He checked himself over once, desperately calming himself to clear his thoughts and make sense of everything that had happened in that dream.

Could it have told him exactly all he needed to know for the coming danger?

When would it happen though?

Where would it happen?

Sollux pressed his knuckles to his forehead, catching his breath as he recalled fire after Erebus finally revealed himself. Would there truly be fire…? It would be a useful warning of things to come should the dream be completely accurate. The Gemini troll wondered, however, why he saw the potential vision of future events now. He had yet to save Kanaya, though he had nothing on her current whereabouts and well-being.

Sollux carefully drew his wounded leg up, so his knee was close to his chest. His breathing and heart had finally calmed down significantly, giving him a chance to relax. He drew his arm over his forehead to wipe away the sweat, then his entire demeanor fell. Should his dream become real, he would have to face Aradia, not as a friend and old matesprite, but as an enemy. How could Erebus know to use her against him? His shoulders tensed as he bared his teeth, cursing in anger of his inability to understand or discover anything. How was he supposed to protect his friends at this rate? How was he supposed to keep Saruna safe?

Saruna…

Sollux quickly looked over her, finding disappointment when she was still unresponsive to everything. His terrified scream hadn't jostled her, or anyone else for that matter. Karkat and Terezi were probably exhausted to no end, just like he was, but he couldn't bring himself to go back to sleep. Not if he would have to relive that nightmare. Running a hand through his tussled spiked hair, Sollux glanced at his desk where his husktop sat closed from the last time he used it, twelve days ago. He never did figure out that damn code he had been working on. Seeing there was nothing else he could do, Sollux shifted out of his bed and limped toward his rolling chair, collapsing in it with a sigh.

How familiar it felt to be in that chair, gazing out the window at a starry night sky with his husktop before him. To complete the scene, his bees were awake again, buzzing around contently now that he was back, though questioning his injuries in which he shooed them off. He opened his husktop, and it turned on to the code he had been working on immediately upon powering up. Numbers filled the screen, codes Sollux read quickly to refresh his memory. It was a rather extensive code… had he been working on it that long? Unfazed, Sollux cracked his knuckles and began typing, working it out bit by bit. He needed a distraction, and this was all he could get for now.

Diligently, he worked for hours and hours until sunrise was returning; the thirteenth day since meeting Saruna he unconsciously thought. He blinked then, his eyes narrowing on the screen sharply. Thirteen…? At once, his fingers were moving on their own accord, filling in the final missing numbers he had needed all along; thirteen. He wanted to slam his head on his desk a few times for his stupidity of being unable to figure out something as damn simple as that, but he refrained for the sake of reading what the hell this code had been hiding for a month now since he encountered it. As he read through it, however, Sollux grew more and more confused. The code sounded like a plea, written up desperately, then scrambled against the creators will into something only few could decipher.

"Is this a… request for help?" Sollux frowned with concerned, reading the remainder of the translated code out loud to himself. "' _Our home Verdena is gone, destroyed by one of our own. We trusted him with those powers, but he finally lost control, and now we suffer and die at his hands. Not even our strongest, purest psionic user could stop him, his own matesprite. We can only assume she is dead, consumed by him in his darkness…_ ' Darkness?" Sollux felt his heart skip a beat, turning back to Saruna momentarily, "' _She… our strongest, purest psionic user…_ ' Saruna? Could this be from Saruna's past, or is this just a coincidence?" He returned to his husktop, curiously reading further, "' _We will all die soon, there is no hope to save our beautiful planet Verdena. If only we had banished him sooner, then we would have avoided this destruction. We pray for peace, but there is nothing we can do in the end. Why should we even try to live when our precious protector Saruna is gone…'_ "

That was the confirmation he needed to bring things together. Saruna was from this lost planet, Verdena, destroyed undeniably by Erebus based on the descriptions who was… Saruna's matesprite. She must have tried to stop him, but was defeated, resulting in her amnesia and sudden appearance on Sollux's planet after floating unconscious through space. He could barely wrap his mind around it, but he was allowed a little deeper into Saruna's forgotten past, and now he could help her remember just a bit. She knew Erebus before, resulting in their clashes that Sollux was now set in. His hands balled up on his legs and he shook his head.

In a way, it was cruel that he had to be the one to tell her this. Erebus destroyed his own home… Saruna's home, and he was her matesprite by some cruel twisted fate. Sollux was damned if he would allow the pain and destruction to happen anymore. He saved the decrypted code in a file, tiredly glancing out the window to the rising sun. Morning already… and he didn't sleep as long as Karkat or Terezi or Saruna. Spinning his chair around he pressed his shoulder on the armrest of his chair and leaned onto his hand with a long sigh, staring at the resting Gemini female. He blinked, suddenly feeling self conscious of what he was doing. Often he just watched Saruna, staring at her whether she was awake or not. Damn he was such a creeper. His lips thinned out and he dropped his gaze ruefully. Truly, he pitied Saruna, there was nothing he could do or say to deny it.

Yet… Aradia was…

"No… no…" Sollux quickly struck down his thoughts. "She won't… be controlled. Aradia is dead… there is no way to bring her back to life after we finished the game. Not even Erebus can bring her back and even then, it's not what's best for us. For me…"

Sollux swore under his breath, slamming his husktop shut, jumping out of his chair and pacing his room irritably. Why did he have to have that fucking dream? He was doing better after all this time, and now this was happening. His eyes scanned the room, searching for something to keep him sane just for a while, but once again he found himself staring at Saruna.

Only this time, unexpectedly, she was staring right back at him with half lidded eyes. His heart fluttered, and his feet shuffled unstably toward her, reaching her side in a few long strides as he sat by her on the bed. She offered him a weak smile and Sollux breathed a sigh of relief and disbelief.

"Saruna… you're…" The Gemini troll unconsciously reached out his hand, fingers brushing over her cheek tenderly. "Thank gog, you're awake, I thought you would never… I thought that… it was too late."

Saruna lightly chuckled, "I'm okay, Sollux. How long have I been asleep in just a bra though…? It's a little… lewd, don't you think?"

"Agh, we needed to get to all of your severe wounds Saruna." Sollux sighed, though he appreciated her attempts to lighten the mood of the room further. "Frankly I forgot you were nearly half naked in my bed, I was more concerned about stopping the bleeding and keeping you alive for gog's sake."

She contentedly giggled, "I know silly… I was only kidding. Thank you though, for saving my life once again. You always… rescue me."

Sollux forced himself to remove his hand from her face, realizing how affectionate the gesture could appear to be. He could have swore he saw a flicker of some kind of emotion over her face when he did so, but he ignored it and pondered inwardly when he should inform her of the code he had deciphered and its secret message. Not now… he just wanted to rejoice in her awakening and see how she felt.

She beat him to it, "How's your leg? Is it healing?"

"Oh, it's fine." Sollux assured. "It's getting better, but my leg is not important compared to your entire body. How do you feel?"

Her lips curved into a slight grin, "Honestly, I'm sore, and my chest stings from this wound, but I think I'm okay. Sadly, however, I feel like I am stuck here until I heal, correct?"

"You're a smart troll." The Gemini troll snickered, his heterochromatic eyes gazing intensely at her to put her assumption firmly into place. "There's absolutely no way you will be going anywhere for days at a time. Now, you should go back to sleep, you need to keep resting to get better quicker."

She blinked at him, face scrunching up with defiance, an expression Sollux did not miss. He gave her a stern glare, but she only giggled at him, and he lost his will to be strict with her. When he thought about it a little more, she probably wasn't very tired anymore after sleeping for that long. Sighing, Sollux shifted his bandaged leg into a better position, wincing slightly, but recuperated himself so Saruna didn't worry too much about him.

"You look like you need the rest more Sollux." The Gemini female said weakly. "I can see the lines under your eyes… you haven't slept have you?"

"I have, but I couldn't sleep." Sollux admitted. "My… brain wouldn't turn off, so I went on my husktop and… looked around, did a few codes, all that fun stuff."

Fuck, he hated the suspicious look she was giving him. She could nearly read him like a book, she saw when he stumbled on the truth, or was hiding something from her. Though… he sometimes saw right through her too. Besides, he admittedly stuttered trying to think of a good lie to tell Saruna.

"Did you… have a nightmare Sollux?"

Holy crap she was good. There was no point in trying to hide at least that truth, "Okay okay… yeah I had a nightmare. I saw one of my closest friends and… Erebus took control of her and she killed me without a second thought."

Saruna's eyes softened, and she bit her lower lip thoughtfully, "I have nightmares too. You usually wake me up from them when they get too bad."

Sollux recalled waking her when she was whimpering in her sleep back in the forest on Terezi's planet. He hadn't planned to pry in on it, but seeing that they were on the subject, he pondered on if he should inquire about it. However, she once again, beat him to the question, "What happened in that nightmare? Who was your friend?"

His eyes found hers, and he took a tense breath in. She had a right to ask him, he supposed, and he had mentioned her before, so it was only natural that she would be curious. If he wanted to ask her about her nightmare, he figured it would be fair to share his own. So he told her all he had to tell about Aradia; starting from the beginning of meeting her to being with her in the game, to her end. He was surprised how much he had to say about her, negative and positive all together. His story went on for a few hours it seemed, and Saruna listened the entire time. It shocked him how intently she paid attention, smiling when he smiled upon remembering some quirk Aradia had, and holding somber expressions when he relayed her unfortunate death, caused by his own powers though not in his control.

Sollux finished his tale with his troubling nightmare, his body giving an unstable shudder upon telling it. Anger filled his voice speaking about Erebus, and Saruna noticeably appeared to be distraught at his mentioning. It was when Sollux described how Erebus looked like as a troll in his nightmare, did Saruna give off a stunning reaction. The way her eyes widened, how her entire expression changed into a flabbergasted stare, Sollux knew that she must have remembered those small details, or dreamed of it herself. He concluded his dream quickly with the fire field and his death, and became silent, watching her as she dropped her gaze from him to the sheets of the bed. Her hand faintly clenched the sheets beneath her.

"Sollux…" Saruna was beginning to tremble, and Sollux grew alarmed. She didn't need to feel stress again, not in her current state. "The way you described him, Erebus, is how he looked in my dream. Exactly like that…!" When she lifted her gaze back to him, tears were welling up. "I believe… that Erebus is a major part of my past, and he is the reason for my amnesia. In my dream, he was with me and he…" Saruna stopped herself, gasping softly as the tears came rolling down her cheeks. She turned her head away from the concerned troll, gritting her teeth as she tried to cease the tears. "Erebus was my matesprite, but I don't know what happened to make him like this, to nearly kill me! I don't understand why this is happening Sollux, I don't know what I did wrong."

"Stop right there." hissed Sollux, and she whimpered in reply. "If I had to take a guess, you more than likely didn't do a single thing wrong. It was probably all his fault! Listen to me Saruna, because I know this for a fact. A few weeks ago, I found a code, it was fucking hard to decipher, but you actually inadvertently helped me figure out the last pieces I needed." He stood from the bed hastily, scurrying to his husktop, though he nearly fell over in his excitement. His movements had at least regained her attention out of concern. "Listen to this, Saruna… it's the code I deciphered a while ago. You may want to hear it, because I believe it is some of your past… and it sheds light on some truth."

Sollux read the code out loud for her, not pausing like he had before to contemplate the information given to him, but reading through completely. Saruna did not make a sound while he spoke, but he wished he could see any sort of change in her expression while he read. When he finished, he spun around in his chair to view Saruna's current reaction and he was greeted by a sorrow filled expression. It was only natural; she was forced to learn that her home planet was gone, that Erebus really had been her matesprite once upon a time, and that she had failed to defeat him in the first place.

There was a part of Sollux that regretted telling her, but similarly, he was pleased to know that he could allow her to know something from her lost past. He stood, far more carefully this time, and returned to her side to comfort her if she needed it. She was starting to sob, her distress increasing by the passing second, and her lips quivering violently. Red tears flowed freely down from her eyes, her body shuddered and she let out a wail suddenly, writhing in pain and agony from physical wounds and emotional scars. She rolled onto her side, and Sollux frantically stopped her with his psionics too little too late. Her most severe wound on her chest was reopened and bleeding onto the bandages harshly.

"Stop it!" Sollux forced her back onto her back, straddling her in an instant and pinning her arms above her head securely with one arm. "Damn it Saruna, you're hurting yourself!" His eyes flared with frustration and fear, trapping her completely to where she could merely blink and speak. Her eyes solemnly and tearfully met his, hiccuping occasionally from her despondent moment of misery beneath Sollux. He growled at her, watching the blood stain her wrapped chest scarlet red. "Control yourself, gog damn it! Calm down before you strain and hurt yourself even more Saruna or I swear I'll…!"

"Sollux, what are you doing up here!?" roared a misinformed Terezi, as she stormed closer to him. "I can smell nothing but red cherries and stress, Saruna doesn't need it. However, I am sure you have your reasons for pinning her down like a sex crazed wild beast right now, what is going on?"

The Gemini male growled, his appearance almost that of a feral wolf looming over its prey prepared to feast. Terezi's intrusion, however, had reminded him that his sudden pounce had likely made things worse, and his agitation was strengthening his psionics more than he should have had them just to hold down Saruna. He reluctantly met her fearful and sorrowful gaze, her similar eyes pleading him to release her. His grip loosened and he sighed as his psionics faded away along with all possible hostility and frustration he may have had at the moment.

"Sorry," He lisped gingerly, floating off of her and towards the door where Terezi pouted at him. "Take… take care of her wounds will you? I'm going outside for a while."

"Ugh, fine, make me assault my nose with more cherry deliciousness." Terezi huffed, moving swiftly to Saruna's side. "Okay let me get to work…"

The most frustrating part about leaving the room for Sollux, was feeling Saruna's solemn stare after him even when he flew passed the door.


	16. Chapter 15: A Moment of Comfort

**Heeeey! Happy Fourth of July! Honestly I have nothing planned, but oh well. It's a relatively short chapter today, but please enjoy it anyway! And have a great Independence Day!**

Chapter 15: A Moment of Comfort

The roof of his hive was a place of memories and comfort for Sollux. For one, he could escape the world around him when he just needed to be alone, but simultaneously, the roof was a place of unforgettable scarring memories that Sollux wished he could change. It was where his lusus had stayed, which in turn was a reasonable place to put his violent lusus, but was also where his accidental Mind Honey power burst caused him to destroy most of his hive and kill his unexpecting lusus. It took him forever to fix the roof, but he admitted psionics was a major help in the rebuild. Sitting with his legs dangling over the edge, Sollux rubbed his eyes, realizing he had left his glasses inside. No wonder the sun seemed so bright today, though he preferred the light of the sun over the dark clouds of Erebus' presence. How long had it been since he was able to just relax in the light of the sun? Sollux winced when his leg gave a pained throb, reminding him exactly why he hadn't been able to relax as of late.

 _But that's okay._ The Gemini troll thought to himself, far quicker than he was able to catch himself to try not thinking it. _I don't regret any of this. I've met Saruna, my life has a new purpose to it. Yeah some things are really difficult, but I won't give up. Erebus has to be stopped and… I have to keep Saruna safe._

There was a part of him that truly couldn't believe how much he came to care about her in a matter of weeks, but he couldn't change his mind about her. Perhaps it was because he finally knew the truth about her past that he felt more responsible for her, or if it was because of the very first image he had of her as a wounded unconscious troll, waking to him as an amnesia ridden female, terrified and timid. Honestly, she was a completely new breed to him. Many of the female trolls he knew were brave, confident, and quite outspoken. Saruna was introverted and shy still, slowly coming out to him only recently. He considered it an achievement to have her so comfortable around him now, so when he thought of how harsh he could be with her occasionally, he felt awful and began to beat himself up for it. She was delicate, and he needed to be more gentle. She wasn't like Aradia or Feferi, she was her own person, and sometimes he needed to remind himself those facts.

Sollux pondered if he should return inside, seeing he had been out for at least an hour. Terezi had likely finished her bandaging on Saruna by now, and probably calmed her down herself. He knew he should apologize to her for his hasty action to prevent her from moving, but it was an act of whim. His eyes scanned the land before him once before he sighed and lifted himself into the air, slowly floating down to his bedroom window and peering in to see if it was safe.

Terezi was rising to her feet, nodding at Saruna and saying something that Sollux couldn't hear before she spun around on her toes and departed. The Gemini female watched her leave before she seemed to lower her eyelids in thought. Her left hand shifted to her new bandages, and she overlooked every wound on her, lingering over the wrappings around her forehead before throwing her head back into the pillow with an obvious sigh. Sollux could only imagine the pain she was feeling, though a part of him could relate to all her misery. He understood what it was like to lose someone special, but he didn't understand what it was like having no memory of those special people, or knowing that someone you once loved was now your mortal enemy. She looked lonely… Sollux decided to return to her side.

Luckily he was able to avoid Karkat and Terezi, and he stood at the doorway silently, waiting for when she regarded him, and another round of tears welling in her eyes once they shared a moment of forgiving silence. This time, he didn't say anything to her, he just moved to her side. Her bottom lip quivered and he tenderly laid a hand on her arm, eyes searching hers as though trying to communicate what he couldn't say; how sorry he was for opening her wound, how sorry he was for the past she couldn't control, how sorry he was for… everything. She was a good reader, or at least he believed she was. The softness that filled her eyes made him believe that, and when she laid her own hand over his, it certainly confirmed it.

"Sollux…" Saruna whimpered his name and he pulled her into a sincere gentle hug. Despite her weakness, her arms wrapped around his back and she buried her face into his shoulder where she let all of her sorrow and confusion flood out in a sweep of emotion. Sollux never let her go even when she fell asleep against him hours later.


	17. Chapter 16: Long Enough

**Hello everyone! How's it going? I decided to upload another chapter, and I realized it's about to get down to the nitty gritty again. Yaaaaay, action scenes! I'm excited, I don't know if you are. So, enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter 16: Long Enough

A few days passed in a blur of time, seventeen days since meeting Saruna in Sollux's eyes. His leg was recovering, allowing him to walk normally and place pressure on it. Karkat and Terezi were just as recovered, if not better than Sollux seeing these were their first wounds of a major battle. The two were insistent in searching for the last known troll to be alive, Kanaya, but Sollux insisted, as he did when Karkat desired to seek Terezi, that they wait for a full recovery. They reluctantly agreed eventually with bitter expressions, but they acknowledged the better idea rather than rushing out into what would likely be another harsh fight. Saruna was clearly better herself, the light in her eyes had returned after her breakdown and she was able to sit up and move around with help.

He hadn't had any dreams in the whole week, which he considered a blessing over a curse. Simultaneously, it made him feel a little paranoid, since his last dream had been about Aradia. The fact that a week had managed to pass without any sudden difficulties or intrusion of enemies was a considerable stroke of luck too. Yet Sollux always had that nagging feeling in the back of his head. Erebus would have become stronger in that time span. He may have engulfed other planets, killed other people, possessed other bodies. What if he had reached Kanaya?

Sollux shuddered in his chair at his desk, tapping his fingers contemplatively in rapid motion as he stared out his window. In the time of resting, he tried pestering Kanaya, she had not answered him once, and that worried him. She was one of the more patient and considerate trolls ever, always willing to help others with motherly intention and putting others before herself. However, she was similarly deadly with her chainsaw, disguised as her favorite black lipstick in calm moments. There wasn't a troll who could hate her, even Karkat was incredibly fond of her. She was a rainbow drinker, gladly able to have anyone of any color's blood for food, but she always asked first. Typically anyone was willing to offer if she needed it.

As Sollux thought about it though, seventeen days of knowing Saruna meant seventeen days of possible danger for Kanaya. He didn't doubt her strength, but what good would her chainsaw even be against a being of cloud properties when he was hidden? Now he was beginning to worry. Yes, he wanted everyone to be close to full strength before jumping into another possible battle, but even he had his anxiety of letting Kanaya be alone any longer. With her not answering his pesters, it was fuel to the fire.

Sollux pushed his glasses higher onto his nose and sighed, unable to decide what would be best for both parties. If they went, he was sure that Karkat and Terezi would manage a fight with him for a while, but what about Saruna and Kanaya? Saruna had not been able to practice her psionics (mainly because he refused any idea she brought up of working on it) and who knew what condition Kanaya would be in when they went. To add to the list, he could never be certain of Erebus' strength. Each thing he consumed added to his power… and Sollux was unable to know how much he had consumed in the week.

"Fuck, I don't know what to do anymore…" Sollux mumbled under his breath, running a hand through his somewhat disheveled hair. "I don't want to potentially lose Kanaya, but I don't want to put the others in danger when they are still recovering. If she would just answer me, I would know the severity of this… but… Kanaya hasn't answered, and that isn't normal of her. It worries me…"

"Are you okay Sol?" His thoughts were interrupted by Karkat who had been helping Saruna move around to strengthen her legs again. Shortly after their appearance followed Terezi, inhaling lightly to figure out where everyone was.

"Yeah I'm fine." Sollux sighed heavily. "It's just, I know I said I want us to wait and recover, but I haven't heard anything from Kanaya this entire week. I don't know what we should do anymore."

Karkat's lips thinned out and he lowered his gaze to the floor, eyebrows furrowing, "Look, I get that you want us to be at full strength, but Kanaya wouldn't fucking sit around waiting to recover if we were in that situation. I know that something is wrong, because she isn't so fucking stupid as to try taking on something like this alone. She would have transportalized to safety by now, to here."

"I almost did get off of my planet," admitted Terezi. "But Erebus got to me way faster than I anticipated… and I guess that's when he took over my mind." Her statement made Karkat clench his fists and she continued, "I really don't know Sollux. I feel fine, Karkat feels fine, and you seem to be better yourself, but…"

"You are worried about me." finished Saruna, a few feet away from the bed.

Sollux frowned, but she was right. Everyone knew that he was stalling for Saruna's sake. He reluctantly drew his gaze to her, meeting her surprisingly stoic stare on him. Her forehead was still wrapped, same with her chest, now covered with another of his shirts. Any of her smaller wounds were either completely or nearly healed. Considering she was able to move around, she was better, Sollux was simply insecure of how she would handle it alone. He sighed suddenly, shaking his head as he stood from his chair.

"How do you feel now Saruna?" He asked her, crossing his arms in clear distaste at what he was deciding to do depending on her answer.

"Strong enough to search for Kanaya." Was her firm reply.

He nodded once, "Then we leave now."

Karkat and Terezi jumped at his declaration, racing out of the room to retrieve their weapons while Sollux collected his ninja stars, tucking them safely into his pockets. He could feel Saruna's smile on him as she departed to do whatever she deemed necessary to be ready. Every part of him screamed to protect her when they departed, to not allow any other harm to come to her. Now that he had agreed to save Kanaya, it was the only remaining thing he could do. His bees fluttered around him, buzzing curiously in is ear. He reassured them he would return as soon as he could, and they returned to their hive, content with his answer.

Shutting his husktop after a second glance at his one-sided pesterlog with Kanaya, Sollux walked out of his room to his transportalizer where Karkat and Terezi already waited, weapons in hand. Terezi leaned on her dragon cane, back straight in an almost prim and proper appearance as she grinned at Sollux, regarding him with a quick sniff. They waited for Saruna patiently, and soon she scampered in, eyes wide and alert. Sollux checked over everyone, lingering cautiously on Saruna and her bandaged forehead.

"Okay, everyone had better be fucking ready, there may not be any turning back once we go through." said Karkat.

"You know I'm good to go." purred Terezi, giving her cane a quick twirl before slamming the end back on the ground in a reverberating click.

Saruna nodded at them and Sollux grunted in agreement. One by one they stepped onto the transportalizer, disappearing into the light with Kanaya as their thoughts. All they could do was say a silent prayer that the Virgo troll was still safe and sound.


	18. Chapter 17: Too Little, Too Late

**What's going on everyone? Hope you are all doing well! I am doing fine still, summer remains a drag, but eh! The next few chapters will be popping up here and there in the next week or so, I have no idea. Thank you all for reading this so far! I am seriously soooooo happy from the results of my posting! It encourages me a lot. Anyways, enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 17: Too Little, Too Late

The moment each of them stepped out of the new transportalizer, they were greeted with immediate chaos, almost similar to when they went to Terezi's planet. Kanaya's home, in shambles, trembled as though it was in an earthquake, pieces of it breaking and cracking, windows shattering. Her fashionable clothes lay around in tatters, glass littering the once pristine floor.

It was an all to familiar sight now.

Karkat barely evaded a chunk of ceiling that broke and fell, and he wildly searched for an exit, a busted window being the best and closest choice. They wobbled unsteadily as the earthquake grew stronger, sidling along the wall for balance and stability lest they fall under another breaking piece of the second floor. Sollux reached the window first, grabbing Saruna's wrist and guiding her to it in order to help her out of it. Karkat cursed when another massive chunk of ceiling crashed down, kicking up dust and debris. Kanaya's home would fall soon, that was undeniable.

Saruna was nearly half way out of the window, however, when Terezi froze in place and spun around unsteadily. Almost on cue, Karkat turned too, his blood red eyes widening with disbelief. Saruna eventually realized what had them stunned, and even Sollux was found with the same astonished and terrified expression. The sound of a revving chainsaw blazed above them upstairs, along with growls and hoarse shouts of agony. Only Kanaya had a chainsaw as a weapon, and those sounds only confirmed her life. Karkat began running towards the stairs despite the ominous quaking under his feet, and Terezi stuck close to him while Sollux tried to get Saruna completely out. She refused him quickly, dragging herself back inside carefully in determination to stay with everyone.

"Kanaya!" Karkat shrieked the Virgo trolls' name desperately, avoiding another second floor ceiling crumble. A large hole revealed some of the second floor above them, enough to occasionally catch of glimpse of Kanaya's battle against what looked like a variety of dangerous, deadly enemies.

Karkat had finally reached the stairs and began his slow ascend when Saruna let out an ear piercing scream, followed by a sharp panicked curse from Sollux. Karkat glanced at them, then to what she was looking at outside that gave them such an ungodly fright. Outside was a massive black dragon, hurtling towards the house with wide spread wings, black smoke trailing behind it. Burning red eyes gave it a terrifying appearance in compliment to its enormous form. It let out a fearsome roar, making the ground shake even harder than before.

Karkat had little time to react, the stair under his feet breaking, and he crashed through the ground, lodging his sickles into the next stair to halt his fall in a moment of adrenaline filled panic. The beast landing feet away from the house, and Sollux realized it was turning immediately upon landing, its long tail swinging out behind it. The dragon was going to destroy the home in a single swing.

Sollux grabbed Saruna, throwing her as gently as he could to the ground in the short amount of time he had before pouncing on top of her. Terezi had reached Karkat, dropping swiftly as she had smelled the oncoming attack, willing to protect Karkat as he was in an undesirable situation. The Cancer troll hoarsely shouted for Kanaya, telling her to watch out, and it seemed like she had heard him, but it was already too late. The tail of the dragon ripped through the home in a single unclean slice, and everything finally came tumbling down, burying the group underneath wood, dirt, glass, rubble. Sollux hovered over Saruna, letting out a desperate empowering cry as his psionics activated, swirling around him in a sudden gust and he caught most of the falling debris, keeping it in limbo over himself and Karkat and Terezi.

Saruna covered her head with her arms, her body already in pain again from the rush of the situation and being forced to the ground by Sollux. She closed her eyes, praying would all be over soon, that the dragon would leave once the home was collapsed. Its roar rang out again, shaking the ground violently once more before it sounded like it took flight and soared away. The dusty air around them had a chance to settle a little, and besides the occasional fall of debris, it became ominously silent for a few long seconds. Saruna coughed, dust entering her lungs and tickling her throat. She slowly uncovered her head, looking around at the crumbled home around her, until feeling a gentle zap on the back of her neck. Craning her head, Saruna found Sollux holding himself up over her, his eyes flaring behind his glasses as he prevented the rest of the entire house from crushing them. His teeth were gritted; the weight definitely something to bear.

"Find… Karkat and Terezi." Sollux groaned at her. "I'll move… this away…!"

Saruna crawled from under him, her legs more wobbly than she expected, though she figured the earthquake was still affecting her. There wasn't any time to stumble around however, she needed to find Karkat and Terezi, and hopefully Kanaya too. Sollux had carefully set out the openings for Saruna to find the others, and he as he was pushing the collapsed portion aside, he was able to stand up again and use his hands for an easier control. Once he set it down, less gracefully than he probably should have, he let out a long sigh of relief. To make everything better, Saruna had found Karkat and Terezi, both escaping relatively unharmed thanks to his psionics.

Yet, Karkat's eyes were wide with what Sollux deciphered to be fear, and even Terezi appeared more shaken than usual. He opened his mouth to inquire, but Karkat ran past him almost hastily, frantically. Maybe it was because he was still trapped in thoughts of what had just happened, but Sollux could not wrap his mind over why Karkat was racing out of the destroyed home until he spotted just what, or rather, who he was running to.

There was no one else it could have been out in the green field, laying in a heap unmoving. She had not made a sound since the dragon swung its tail through her home, and this would certainly explain why. Kanaya had been knocked out of the home, thrown across the field mercilessly and left to die. Sollux raced after Karkat, followed by Terezi and Saruna before slowing to a stop once he was at her side.

Karkat cradled her bloody, beaten body in his arms, and Sollux solemnly addressed each wound she had. A numerous amount of small cuts, a plethora of deep cuts that bled her jade green blood, too many stabs, a pierce through her shoulder, and it looked as though a few of her ribs were likely shattered from the impact of the dragons tail. Her normally clean, well dressed appearance was completely ruined, her blood drenching her black shirt, making her green Virgo symbol difficult to read. The long red skirt she often wore was torn in half, also stained with her green blood and revealing her bruised tattered legs. Miraculously, she was still breathing, though every breath pained her based on the twitch she gave occasionally after a shallow inhale.

"Can we save her…?" worried Saruna, a hand pressed to her chest timidly.

"We have to!" barked Karkat. "We'll take her back to the hive!"

"We can't Karkat…" muttered Terezi, her voice full of sorrow. "The transportalizer was damaged in the destruction of the house… didn't you smell the smoke?"

The look he gave her tore Sollux in two. Indeed the transportalizer had been damaged, a small amount of smoke rising from the rubble that was once a home as proof. Karkat held Kanaya tighter, shaking his head defiantly at the painful truth. He looked around frantically, his scan only serving to wound him further. Kanaya's planet was normally very bright, named the Land of Rays and Frogs for a reason. She was able to handle the Alternian sun, she loved the variety of colors, she loved fashion. So why did her planet have to appear so gray, so dark and gloomy? Even the ocean surrounding her large island appeared to be darker than usual. There weren't any light rays shining from the sky, the sun completely blocked out by the black clouds of, undeniably, Erebus. It truly did not even look like her planet anymore.

"Then… we're just gonna let her fucking die!?" Karkat's voice broke saying this, and his shoulders began to faintly tremble. "It's not fair…! Kanaya doesn't deserve to die because we were too fucking slow to come here!"

Guilt hit Sollux harder than a train, and he ducked his gaze to the floor. If Kanaya died, then it was his fault. He refused Karkat and Terezi from coming to her planet for the sake of being completely healed. For Saruna's sake. Now, he would have to rue the day forever.

"Guys…!" Terezi perked suddenly, her body tensing. "The dragon, it's coming!"

"Shit, not now!" Karkat strained to see the black dot swooping from the clouds, soaring towards them again. "We can't fight it, not like this."

Sollux heard the beast roar and he growled lowly, lifting his head to eye it angrily. That dragon, it deserved to die. Its black scales, its red eyes, the trail of black mist behind it… Sollux knew that Erebus had it under his possession, simply because of his presence. He didn't have to dream about it to know. In his anger, his psionics flickered on his fingertips and alighted his eyes. He felt the need to fight against the beast, not just to protect his friends, but to avenge Kanaya too. The dragon roared again, closer this time.

"Sollux…?" Saruna had noticed the sparks of red and blue on Sollux's fingers, and it alarmed her. "You can't fight it Sollux, not now!" She grabbed his upper arm and he barely glanced at her. "We have to hide, get away, something!"

"You guys get away." Sollux demanded. "I will distract it."

"Sollux, no!" hissed Karkat, his red eyes shooting daggers at the Gemini troll. "You'll be fucking killed. I don't need you dying on us pretending to be a fucking hero, we need to listen to Saruna and get away!"

"…cave…" a small, weak voice silenced everyone as all eyes fell to Kanaya. The jade blooded troll, eyes lidded, but open, smiled at them gently, her vampire fangs glistening.

"Kanaya!" Karkat's eyes widened once he realized she was the one speaking to them. "Fuck, Kanaya, hang on. You'll be okay, don't you fucking die on us. You can drink my blood can't you? To heal? We're going to avoid that dragon, find a place to hide and fix your transportalizer right up so we can get back to Sollux's hive! I-it won't take long, just a little while. Why didn't you get out of there sooner Kanaya!? You have to survive Kanaya, you have to-"

"Karkat… you and I both know I will not survive much longer. My wounds are too severe…" Every word she spoke was weak and breathless, but somehow still gentle and motherly. "Don't tell yourself painful lies like that… it will simply make it hurt more." Her smile faded when Karkat let out a strangled sob, his fingers clenching the remnants of her shirt in tight bundles. She would have normally patted his head and shushed him now, but every muscle in her body refused any more movement. Little by little, her body was giving up on her.

The dragon roared out, even closer now. More than likely it had now seen the group, due to the sudden boost in speed it seemed to have. Terezi shifted uncomfortably, pulling her cane apart into her two swords warily. Sollux crouched slightly, prepared to guard his friends should the beast attack, and Saruna stood close to him, trying to focus her psionics after having so long of not using them. Karkat, however, did not flinch or pay any attention to the danger hurling closer to them each second. He didn't want to leave Kanaya, he couldn't leave Kanaya. She had never done him wrong, she had always offered him the best advice, she always listened to him. Losing her meant losing the closest troll to a moirail.

"I won't last much longer Karkat… so you have to go." Kanaya whispered, aware that if she didn't make him go, he never would. "The island near the volcano… there is a cave you can shelter in since my home is gone. I do believe… if you go far enough there is another transportalizer that should work. Go now… Karkat. Keep the others safe. Lead them to the island. Even… her." Based on the direction of her eyes, Karkat knew she was talking about Saruna. She didn't even know her, but she asked him anyway because he would listen to her. It would be her final request.

"Kanaya… please…" Karkat pleaded desperately. "You can't… go."

But Kanaya was already gone, limp in his arms after a soft exhale; her final breath. Karkat called to her once, twice, before he fell silent, crying over her deceased body. The others felt a twinge of pain losing their ally, but they did not shed a tear. It served as fuel to strengthen their desires to defeat Erebus, to stop the destruction, the death, the pain. Sollux felt the hairs on his neck stand as the dragon neared them, a fight becoming undeniable now. He saw the clouds swirl above them, bringing forth a storm created by Erebus himself. The dragon landed about fifty yards away from them, the ground shaking at its mighty settle. It growled, black smoke steaming from its nostrils, when a pillar of clouds collapsed to the ground next to it. Sollux tensed as the clouds concentrated into a formation, one that he had seen before in his last dream.

" _I hope you aren't expecting an apology from me now._ " Erebus, standing by the dragon as his troll self, smirked a sharp fang grin at the four trolls. He was exactly how he appeared in Sollux's dream; cascading black hair over his dark soulless eyes, inward pointed horns, a cerulean cloud on his shirt. Vaguely he felt Saruna press fearfully against him from behind, a gasp passing her lips. " _It isn't my fault she was too weak and died from her few wounds. If she just let me take over her mind she would probably still be alive now, but instead she resisted me. So, I sent my sweet Hecate to kill her, and what else does she find? She finds four scum trolls still clinging to life, one of them being my disgusting ex-matesprite who dragged innocents into this delicious hell I have created. Then there's you, Sollux, always around her like a tamed wild beast._ " His dark grin made Sollux bare his teeth at him, his psionics strengthening the more angry he became. " _Do you pity the little bitch? Don't you see she deserves to die, just like your friend there? Heh, like all of you do actually. I shouldn't have been so easy on any of you… so I won't be anymore. It's not like it will be hard, not when it's so clear that none of you have fully recovered from the last fight. Especially Saruna, she will be-_ "

A sharp yell rang from Karkat suddenly as he sprang to his feet, sickles tight in hand as he charged at Erebus, screaming, "I'll fucking kill you!" Sollux had not seen it coming until he was madly dashing towards danger, nothing but fury seeping from him. His desire for revenge was great, and he was likely just as sick as Sollux was hearing Erebus' monologue. Erebus and Hecate made no sudden movements, almost as if they were mocking Karkat, daring him to try and attack them. Karkat pounced at Erebus, drawing his sickle back in order to bring it down into the demonic trolls head, when in a burst of random energy he was thrown back past the small group, slamming against the ground until he eventually rolled to a painful stop.

"Karkat!" Terezi nearly went after Erebus herself, but Sollux swung out his arm to stop her. Her body shook in anger, but she heeded Sollux's movement and ran to check on Karkat.

Sollux stepped back, pushing Saruna with him. Erebus was stronger, and he had just proved it twice. He had made the dragon Hecate with his own power, and didn't even move when he sent Karkat flying backwards with his own thoughts. As much as Sollux dreamed of killing him, he also knew that they would be in for a fight for their lives should they partake in battle. Seeing Kanaya's unmoving body was the only reminder he needed to determine that they needed to get away somehow.

" _How utterly pathetic that was._ " sneered Erebus. " _He should consider himself lucky to survive that. Will you be next, Sollux?_ "

The Gemini troll took another step back, and he felt Saruna grip the back of his shirt tightly, "What the fuck do you want with us Erebus!? With Saruna!? What do you have against her!? She probably didn't do shit wrong, so why did you destroy her life!? Why did you destroy her home, her friends, her family!?"

Erebus' superior smirk disappeared and he glared at the two Gemini trolls, " _Why? They didn't deserve to live, that's why! All of them were weak, pathetic trolls, only Saruna stood any sort of chance against anything. They did everything they could to prevent us from being lovers, because they didn't trust me or my powers. They tried to exile me, because my powers were dangerous they said! And she,_ " He pointed a clawed finger at Saruna, his voice darkening the more he spoke. " _She loved those bastards more than me! So I killed them, to defeat any challenges to my flushed feelings for her, to show her that I was the only troll for her, and what does she do!? She rejects me! She tries to exile me too!_

" _So… I destroyed all she had, I killed everything and everyone she loved, and I thought I had killed her, but it turns out I was wrong. Here she is, still alive, but a deplorable asset as an ally since she can't remember how to use her powers. You can thank me for that later, though it confuses me as to why you would want her at your side._ " Erebus lifted a hand to his chin, as if he was contemplating something. His loyal dragon spread out its wings, growling at the two trolls hungrily, but refusing to move until commanded to.

Sollux pushed Saruna back another step, glancing back at Karkat and Terezi to assess the Cancer trolls condition. Since Terezi was helping him stand, he knew he was well enough to make a run for it when the opportunity came. He checked on Saruna too, her eyes locked intensely on Erebus, quivering with fear. Reaching a hand back, he brushed his fingertips over her hand, earning a soft gasp from her, but gaining her attention.

"We have to get away from here Saruna." He said in a low voice. "Karkat will know where to go, so you and Terezi need to get there."

"But… what about you?" Saruna became alarmed, taking another bundle of his shirt in her other hand. "You can't possibly be thinking of fighting them! Sollux, you can't do that!"

"Do you expect them to let us waltz free?" Sollux scolded, before he reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his ninja stars, handing it to Saruna. "I can distract them long enough for everyone else to get away, then I can find you guys when I find an opening to escape them. Use this as a weapon to protect yourself, and don't lose it. This is all I can do… because there isn't much else we _can_ do, Saruna."

"Sollux…" Saruna was cut off as Erebus spoke up again, stealing Sollux's attention as soon as he realized his enemy was speaking.

" _How about I make a deal with you, Sollux?_ " Erebus' fanged smile made Sollux tense even more than he believed he could. " _If you hand over Saruna right now without another word, I will allow the rest of you to leave relatively unharmed, and never bother you or your little friends again for as long as I live. What do you say to that?_ "

Sollux's eyes flared at Erebus' idea of a deal, his ninja stars levitating out of his pockets and floating around him in swirls of red and blue. Saruna was forced to back away from him, clutching the star she was given as personal protection. She watched as Sollux slowly looked back at her, his expression rather blank as his psionics danced on his fingertips and behind his glasses. He took in a breath, starting to turn his head back to Erebus.

Then, before she lost sight of his lips, he simply said to her, "Run."

Saruna took one step back, then another. She couldn't disappoint Sollux, not this time. Though it pained her to leave him, she trusted him. He wouldn't die. He couldn't die. Turning her back to him, Saruna sprinted to Karkat and Terezi, telling them what Sollux told her. Karkat almost refused, but he stopped himself. Sollux was smart and strong, he could handle them without getting killed. Kanaya had asked him to get them to safety too, and he would be damned to let her down. Terezi seemed aggravated that she couldn't fight, yet seeing that Karkat decided to listen to Sollux too, she agreed with a bitter tone.

Saruna woefully looked back at Sollux one last time, before she, Karkat, and Terezi all raced to find Kanaya's hidden cave. They certainly needed the time, since Kanaya had informed them it was on another island near the volcano. It required a taxing swim once they would reach the shoreline, but all they had to do for now, was hurry.


	19. Chapter 18: Petrified

Chapter 18: Petrified

Sollux could tell by the increasing frown on Erebus' face that the others were making their escape. He glared at him, shaking his head as he used his psionics to lift himself into the air, his ninja stars circling around him in a slow graceful motion.

"If you thought for one second that I would give you Saruna," Sollux spat in disgust, his anger giving his power the boost he would need. "Then you were fucking wrong. I won't let you lay a finger on her for as long as I am alive. So you had best give up on that stupid idea of yours before you're further disappointed…"

" _You're only making a grave mistake Sollux._ " Erebus snarled. " _So, I will just have to make sure you die just like your friend there. Who else to do that task than the one who gave her the finishing blow?_ " He lifted a hand into the air and snapped his fingers, disappearing into the black clouds above in a haze as his voice echoed, " _Kill him Hecate, my sweet dragon…!_ "

Immediately, Hecate released an earth shaking roar and charged at Sollux, wings opening wider for it to take flight. Sollux memorized his surroundings quickly, nothing much of use to offer any aid in the fight, but he made sure to take note of the lake near Kanaya's shambled home and shot higher into the air to avoid Hecate's piercing teeth. With a mighty flap of her wings, Hecate took to the air, turning sharply and spewing fire at Sollux. He didn't quite expect Hecate to breathe fire since it hadn't shown any sign of being able to do so, but he avoided the flames anyway, and sent out a single ninja star swiftly at the beasts head. It barely scratched the surface of its scales, serving only to provoke the dragon more. Sollux avoided Hecate again, slowly finding this fight to be unnecessarily easy if it would just be a dodging game, but his hopes were crushed briskly as a bolt of lighting barely missed him.

Of course there would be lightning… how could he have forgotten? It had given him an awful jolt during the fight with Terezi, and he certainly didn't wish to experience it a second time. He dodged another run by with Hecate, nearly caught in another burst of lightning that forced him to juke back to where he started. He cursed. Maybe just dodging wouldn't help him out, not with Erebus' meddling. Sollux neared the ground just as Hecate sprayed more fire at him, and he shot back from another lightning strike. The ground alighted with that spark, fire growing quickly on the grassy field. His eyes widened in horror.

Kanaya!

She didn't deserve to burn into a crisp from the fire! But where could he put her safely while avoiding all of the attacks sent on him? He was torn at his dilemma, aware that since she was dead, it shouldn't have bothered him, but on another hand she was his friend and he wanted to bury her appropriately somehow when this pointless fight was over. His thoughts were cut short as he heard Hecate land near him, primed to dodge her tail swinging at him until he realized that Erebus was likely ready to send lightning wherever he would dodge left or right.

So, he simply dropped to the floor, the tail zooming over him in a whoosh of air, then rolled aside to avoid straight on lightning before he sent out another ninja star, leading it to Hecate's legs in hope that the skin was softer there. Rather, the weapon bounced off the scaled leg, and sliced the dragons belly. Hecate screeched at its small but deep wound and the Gemini troll drew his gaze over the soft flesh of Hecate's belly up to its neck.

Sollux smirked at Erebus' flaw of making the beast too realistic; this fight would be much easier than he expected. He sent out the remainder of his ninja stars, manipulating them to tear any soft area on the dragon while warily watching for lightning from above. Strangely enough, however, Erebus did not send any more bolts out, and Sollux was able to tear the dragon apart, leaving it a bloody corpse. As confident as he wanted to be, that fight was _far_ too easy. He contemplated the facts he had on hand, scanning for Kanaya's body in the burning field to take her with him in his search for the others.

The dragon had blood in it, so Erebus had not made it, but possessed its mind like he had done to Karkat, Terezi and the toothbeasts. He must have not been able to do such a thing yet, and personally Sollux hoped he never would be able to. Erebus was not attempting to attack him anymore, and that had him extremely paranoid. He could not waste time, however, not with the fire growing at an unstoppable rate with all the grass destined to burn. He found Kanaya quickly, kneeling over to scoop her lifeless body into his arms, when he felt every hair on his body stand on edge at an ominous, unwelcome presence.

So, Erebus wasn't done.

Sollux sighed and levitated Kanaya as far away as he could, while retrieving a single ninja star from the dragons body, before he turned around irritably, ready to make a snarky comment on how weak his "sweet Hecate" was. However, words failed to leave him when he realized it was not Erebus he was staring at. How could he have not realized it was coming? The field of fire was his clearest warning of what was to come and now he stood petrified in place. The ninja star fell to the ground, along with any will to fight.

Erebus had known what he was doing all along, because Sollux could not bring himself to fight Aradia Megido despite any warnings he may have received from his nightmares. As if making up for the times he missed, a fierce bolt of lightning shocked Sollux to the ground, the pain a cruel reminder of how paralyzed and weak he was being. He struggled to look at Aradia again, disbelief causing him to question how this could be, why it had to happen, and why did he not stop it. Even when Erebus let out a dark, triumphant laugh, Sollux could only stare into her lifeless eyes, and await the death Aradia would bring him soon as her hand slowly lifted palm up as a near perfect recreation of Sollux's worst nightmare.


	20. Chapter 19: Heed to the Calls

**Hey guys! This story has reached 1000 views and my goodness I am so so so excited and happy! Thank you all so very much! I'm trying to write as much as I can so updates can pop up sooner, but please be patient, my brain sometimes acts really dumb and doesn't give me ideas to write, when I have future ideas already thought out! But enough about that, enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 19: Heed to the Calls

Saruna panted heavily as she finally reached the shoreline with Karkat and Terezi, realizing how much heavier her breaths were compared to theirs. Seeing that she was still not completely recovered, she forgave her exhaustion, gazing out at the island that would be at least a miles swim. Karkat pointed it out for Terezi, as the salt of the water flooded her smelling senses useless. She shifted uncomfortably, her lips thinning out as her shoulders tensed noticeably. Saruna could guess what had her so unwilling; either she couldn't swim, or since she could see or smell currently, she was afraid of getting lost in the water.

"Don't worry Terezi, I will swim right beside you." Karkat said reassuringly. "I won't let you stray or drown, okay? You just have to hold on to me."

She nodded shakily as Karkat took her wrist gently, coaxing her forward into the waters. Saruna didn't look forward to entering the water, as the salt would likely burn her nearly healed wounds. It certainly would not be as bad as it could have been if she had less time to heal. Karkat glanced back at her, quirking an eyebrow curiously.

"Do you know how to swim?" He asked Saruna.

"I think I do." was her somewhat uncertain reply. "At least I am pretty sure I can."

Karkat unhappily sighed at this, shaking his head with a rather conflicted expression. Terezi would need him at her side the entire swim, so if she happened to not be able to swim, he wouldn't be able to keep both of them up for very long. Saruna understood this, and she stepped back from them.

"Take her over there first, we can't waste any time." She insisted. "I will wait here by the shore, but don't rush. You'll tire yourself out and drown."

"No, don't make me sound like a handicap!" hissed Terezi. "I can swim, but I don't know how far the island is, and I wouldn't know what direction was right. If you just tell me which way to go I can-"

A shriek in the distance cut Terezi off, and Saruna spun around, aware that the dragon had to have been defeated to make such an awful cry. She felt better knowing Sollux had taken care of the larger pest, but in the distance where they had left Sollux she saw rising gray smoke, tinged red and yellow at the bottom. A fire was burning heavily it appeared, and she bit her lower lip out of nerves. Sollux would be okay… he simply had to be okay. Erebus may harm him some, but in the end he would be able to escape and find them on the island.

"You better stay alive Sollux, or I'll fucking kill you…" muttered Karkat, his ruby eyes locked intensely on the smoke. "Come on Terezi. Saruna, try swimming around here to see if you can or can't swim. Then we can decide if you should go with us or wait here. But I don't like the idea of you waiting here… not with that bastard nearby."

The amnesiac troll nodded and moved toward the water lapping at the shore, tucking Sollux's ninja star safely into her pants pocket. Her feet sloshed through the water, filling her shoes and sinking slightly into the wet sand, and before she knew it, the water was at her chest. Vaguely she felt a burning sensation on her chest where her bandaged wound was, but it was less painful than she expected. A small wave dragged her out further, and she nearly panicked losing the ground under her feet, but with quick and almost natural movement of her arms she stayed afloat. Karkat and Terezi swam to her side, and the mutant blooded troll seemed relieved to know that Saruna could swim. It would be one less thing he had to worry about.

"Okay, let's get going." He said, pushing forward with the two females.

However, in less than a few seconds of them swimming, Saruna felt a wicked burst of pain rush through her head. She yelped, losing her swimming stability as all too familiar voices flooded her thoughts, screaming out in horror and pain, spewing warnings and premonitions.

 _Go back. Save him. Don't let him die._

Helpless to the sudden migraine, Saruna felt the water surge around her, shoving her back onto the shore as if heeding to the voices pleas. She coughed up the salty water, faintly hearing Karkat yell back at her to see if she was okay, but she couldn't bring herself to answer. The pain was unbearable as the voices grew louder, repeating the same things over and over desperately, frantically. She cried out in pain, clutching her head as it felt like it was splitting.

Again and again the voices wailed and bemoaned, save him, save him, save him! She felt two hands lay on her, Karkat's voice sounding like a garbled whisper compared to the voices howling in her head. He called her name out, demanding answers, trying to calm her, help her in any way. His hands pinned her down, keeping her from writhing around too much.

Then, one lone scream rang out in her head, a scream of agony, of pain, of imminent death. Saruna knew that scream, the voice of it could have only been one person. At once the voices disappeared along with the horrible shriek, and she shot up as if she was woken from a nightmare, crying out in anguish, "Sollux!"

She gasped for breath, her eyes wide with fear, unable to hear Karkat as he shook her by her shoulders with a forlorn, desolate expression. Terezi equally appeared to be concerned, confusion etched on her face as she stared in Saruna's direction, only the sound of Karkat's voice and Saruna's earlier groans of pain able to inform her that something was wrong. Just as sudden as the voices came and left, all other sound returned to Saruna's ears; the waves crashing onto shore, Karkat barking her name out, trying to snap her out of her transfixed gaze.

"Saruna, fuck, answer me already! What's happening to you!?"

"Karkat…" His name barely came out as a whisper as her senses returned to her one by one. Her heterochromatic eyes found his red ones. "I have to go back. I have to go back to where Sollux is!"

"What?" Karkat grabbed her arm tightly before she could jump up and sprint away from them. "Damn it Saruna, you're not making sense! Is he okay? Did you hear voices?"

"Yes!" Saruna tugged at his grip on her. "He's in trouble! They said save him!" Something in her mind suddenly clicked and she almost mechanically dropped her gaze to the sandy ground with a quivering gasp. "…The fire."

Now it sounded like she was rambling, but she had remembered one key thing Sollux had told her about a week ago. He had told her about a nightmare he had that caused him to not sleep from all the worry and paranoia it gave him. She had asked him about his friend, the nightmare, and he told her all the details she needed to know at this moment. A field of fire where he was crushed to death by the hand of who was once his matesprite, under the control of Erebus though she had been dead. Sollux was going to die in that exact way at these critical moments.

"Let me go!" She yanked herself free from Karkat, earning a confused and agitated grunt from him as she bounded to her feet and found a new kind of strength in her that she didn't expect to have. It took her a while to realize her feet weren't touching the ground. She was flying, just like Sollux would do most of the time. Somehow her psionics were working, likely from the emergence of the situation and her frenzied desire to get to Sollux as fast as she could. The lack of ground beneath her feet did not scare her this time. She considered it a true blessing in her favor, and now all she had to do, was get back to Sollux before it was too late for him as it had been for their friend Kanaya.


	21. Chapter 20: Strength of the Heart

**Hello hello! Time for another chapter! I will stop my monologuing so, I hope you enjoy it! (I kinda liked writing it actually...)**

Chapter 20: Strength of the Heart

Sollux had it set in his mind that he was going to die today. The moment Aradia grabbed his limp, jolted body in her telekinetic ability, he had solemnly accepted that he could not fight back to save his own life. He thought he was ready to fight her after having time to contemplate the nightmare he had, but he was wrong. When she lifted him off the ground, many feet into the air, he realized it would not be a quick and painless death. Erebus wanted him to suffer for as long as possible, and he made sure that Aradia would take his plan into effect. The Gemini troll had little time to react when his body was slammed onto the ground full force, once, twice, three times in a row before he was released momentarily.

A part of him wished Aradia didn't stop her assault so he wouldn't have to feel every bit of pain for a short while before Erebus would have her continue again. His bones ached at the harsh landings, and his head pounded, leaving him to question if he felt something warm dripping through his hair. Then he was grabbed again, and he braced himself to his best ability before he was tossed into the air over Aradia, higher than his last lift, then harshly thrown onto the ground, breaking the surface and sending an array of cracks through the earth. Blood filled his mouth, and the warmth on the back of his head increased, slipping down his neck. Deep cuts marred his body, just from the four times being thrown onto the ground. He felt Aradia's hold on him release again, and he weakly groaned, feeling his throat gurgle from the rising blood.

" _How does it feel, Sollux?_ " Erebus laughed at his pain, echoing through the clouds as a rumble of thunder. " _How does it feel to be hurt by someone you care about? How does it feel to be unable to fight back? She is an incredibly useful puppet, I found her thanks to your nightmares. Fear and suffering empower me, it just added fuel to the fire! Oh, how I love watching you suffer like this, there's nothing more satisfying to me than watching my enemy die by the hands of an old friend._ "

Sollux wanted nothing more than to curse at Erebus, but he could barely manage to release a groan as he shakily pulled himself up into a limp sitting position. His blood was allowed to freely flow from his mouth, dripping down the corners of his lips as he coughed it up, spattering it on the ground. The jolt of the lightning strike had mostly numbed his senses now, but he could still feel every bit of pain inside and out. He lifted his head up weakly, pushing his glasses higher on his nose as they somehow managed to stay on, determined to never lose sight of Aradia. She was slowly walking closer to him, a dark aura swirling around her intimidatingly, her expression blank with no emotion.

" _It is truly pathetic that you can't lift a finger against her._ " snorted Erebus. " _But I guess it makes this scene that much more enjoyable. I'll make sure you feel every injury, every cut, every bruise before you die._ "

Aradia halted by Hecate, lifting a few bloodstained ninja stars in her psychic powers before continuing toward Sollux. He tried to stand, but ended up falling over halfway. Streaks of yellow tears slid down his cheeks out of frustration, torment and sorrow. Every part of him screamed to fight back, to protect himself, but his heart and mind triumphed with tearful memories of Aradia. He had killed her once, he couldn't do it again, even if she was already technically dead and under control. This must have been his punishment for letting her die by his hands, too weak to stop it with willpower.

"I-I'm sorry… Aradia." He gasped out at her walking husk, wishing she could hear his sincere apology.

But the Aries female showed no signs of hearing or understanding him, and sent a single star spinning at him. It tore purposely through his upper arm, not deep enough to reach the bone, but enough to greatly effect Sollux. He grasped his bleeding wound with a cry, before another ninja star ripped through his side just under his ribs and another lodged into his leg. Again Aradia grabbed him, this time throwing him to the side where he tumbled and crashed, ceasing near Kanaya's tattered home. He was pretty sure he felt his right shoulder pop out of place during that grating roll, and found his thoughts to be correct as he wearily assessed his new arduous pain. Using his sketchy psionics, Sollux pushed it back into place though it hurt like hell in doing so.

Another of his ninja stars zoomed in from nowhere and unluckily drove itself into the same shoulder just fixed. He could no longer find it in him to cry out in pain, merely letting out a strangled grunt with every new wound received. Pulling out the star in his leg, as it has been shoved in deeper during his roll around, Sollux pushed himself onto his knees, elbows digging into the ground in a hopeless attempt to get him up. The taste of his blood was almost a natural flavor anymore, continuing to seep out of his mouth, and even from his nose now. He was starting to become dizzy, the amount of blood loss reaching its limit before he would pass out or drop dead. His body was trembling as he tried to stand again, though by now it was near impossible. Erebus let out another bellowing laugh, and Sollux felt his blood boil.

" _I must say, the best part about this, is when you finally die, no one can stand in my way._ " The evil troll purred. " _I can do whatever I want to the rest of your friends, to Saruna as well. Now that will be fun… I wish you could watch what I plan to do, but I'm afraid you will find some ridiculous power and manage to prevent it._ "

Sollux gritted his teeth, unwilling to imagine what Erebus was talking about, but when the black clouds swirled down to the ground in a tornado motion and he was standing but a few feet away from Sollux, the maniacal grin he held confirmed what he most dared not to think up. His pitch black eyes almost had a sick gleam to them as if he had it all thought out. It was all Sollux had to see to know how brutally treated Saruna would be in his possession.

"You… won't be…" Sollux choked on his own words and blood, unable to finish his pathetic threat attempt. His eyes locked on Erebus' feet, watching him come closer before he felt his hand grabbed the back of his hair and jerk him up. It hurt terribly, the bust in his skull from being slammed on the ground an imminent wound now, but it enabled him to look Erebus in the eye. How badly he wanted to spit in his face, but even that was an impossible task.

" _Look at you, how I always knew you would be: pathetic._ " Erebus threw him back onto the ground in disgust and moved away from him. " _I guess I am pretty satisfied now. Aradia, you can kill him off now, my dear, unless you want to play with him a little more._ "

As if on cue, another ninja star sliced over his back and he could only cringe at the sting of a new cut. Aradia had no decision in this, Erebus had her continuing to torture him until he would be holding onto a thin string to live. Sollux just wanted to die though. There was nothing more he wanted than to die. If a higher being could be so kind as to strike him dead, he would have appreciated it. He stared at Aradia with lidded eyes, breathing sporadically and questioning how he was still alive. Anyone else would have been dead by now, anyone else would have died on the first few ground slams. It had to have been a cruel karma on him. Aradia likely suffered when he killed her, so now he had to suffer. Then there was something in him that was so happy to see her there before him. He had missed her. He had missed seeing her.

Aradia lifted him, and he prayed she would end this. Instead of fulfilling his wishes, she threw him dangerously close to the lake, and he was tempted to try dragging himself into the waters to drown himself out of his anguish. His eyes flickered with weak psionics, his glasses finally falling from his face due to a broken earpiece after the last throw. He watched as the lake was pulled away from him, his body tight in Aradia's psychic grip.

So, it would finally be over.

Just like in his nightmare he would be crushed from the Aries trolls' closing fist. He was forced to watch it happen bit by bit, but his vision was becoming nothing more than a blur. His body felt like it was slowly being crushed under a heavy weight, like a serpent wrapping itself around him and squeezing the life out of him. Every breath was weaker, every sound was becoming muffled. Sollux saw the raging fire behind Aradia, dancing like giant fireflies around her frame, her long black hair swaying in the swirling winds. Even though it was obviously Aradia before him, Sollux found himself thinking about Saruna, thinking of how far she, Karkat, and Terezi must have been now. Had they reached the safety of the island yet? Were they worried about him?

A light, but noticeable smile found its way onto his lips. Saruna probably was worried about him, she usually did have concern about him. He hoped she wouldn't forget about him as he realized he could no longer breathe, the constriction now too great for his lungs to expand. He prayed that Karkat and Terezi would take care of her, protect her. If only… he could have stopped Erebus himself. And if only… he could have been with Saruna longer. His eyes fluttered closed, his smile twisting as he felt his ribs pressing lightly on his lungs expelling any air left in them. Soon, it would be over. He would die, and join all of his friends.

That was, until he heard the fiercest yell ring out and his body dropped to the ground in a heap.

When he inhaled, his lungs painfully filled with air and he was brought into a fit of coughs and chokes. What had just happened? He peeled his eyes open, desperately trying to focus on the moving blur in front of him. The first blur, likely Aradia, threw something, or rather someone off of her, but they came back faster than she could react, tackling her to the ground. Sollux heard their screams, but he was so disoriented that he couldn't recognize it well enough. He opened his mouth, attempting to speak but he fell into another fit of violent coughs and hacks. His body ached and throbbed, almost begging to die itself, but now Sollux was intrigued by the scene before him trying his hardest figure out what was happening. A flash of lightning nearly blinded him, but he knew Erebus would be intervening for a reason. He saw another bolt of lightning strike down, and he clenched his teeth as he begged his body to work. Sight, hearing, something! He just needed to know what was happening!

The blur of two fighters seemed to be rolling around, trying to see who was the strongest in pinning the other down. He could make out a arm from whoever was on top lifting up and down as if punching the bottom person over and over. Aradia wasn't one to punch… so whoever it was, was currently beating her down. Sollux thought too soon as Aradia threw the mysterious fighter off of her slamming her onto the ground with her psychic powers. However, the mysterious hero was a resilient fighter, the single slam appearing to have unfazed them as they pounced back onto Aradia, melding into a large blur again.

The fire seemed closer, its warmth recognizable to Sollux in his state of bewildered senses. His thoughts were jumbled, undecipherable as he somehow made his arm stretch out towards the blurry bodies locked in a struggle on the ground. They rolled out of sight, into the massive flames. Sollux heard a deep yell, recognizing it faintly as Erebus in pure frustration. Thunder rolled above him and suddenly he felt like he was getting wet.

Rain?

How was it raining if the clouds were Erebus? In a way it felt soothing, but shortly after it mostly just hurt feeling the rain become harder, hitting his every wound. The rain grew heavier, lessening the fire quickly until it was nothing but a smoldering field of black ash and dead grass. A lone figure stood in the middle of the blackened field, slightly hunched over and holding their left arm. They looked like they were coming closer to him. If it was Aradia, she was simply finishing the job she started, but if it was the other figure he had seen… he would be able to find out who it was finally. The figure didn't stop coming closer, and he wondered how Erebus was so inactive again after sending two strikes of lightning down. He came to realize why when he saw a concentration of black fall to the ground a few feet away from the figure. His vision was starting to focus a little better, so he squinted to try seeing easier.

A weak, shuddering gasp escaped him as his sight enabled him to recognize things again and he could barely bring himself to believe that it was Saruna who had been in that fight against Aradia. Seeing that she was standing there meant she had won somehow, but now that Erebus was merely feet away from her, he feared for her life. She glared at her ex-matesprite with fierce eyes, and he eagerly returned the glare ten fold. They appeared to have been speaking, but Sollux couldn't hear them enough to understand.

Saruna bared her fangs at Erebus suddenly, throwing her arm out with what Sollux vaguely recognized as the ninja star he gave her. A swirl of red and blue wisps moved in sync around her body, and Erebus actually stepped back from her, but he smirked and shook his head. He knew he could kill her, she knew he could kill her, Sollux knew he could kill her, but for some reason no one would be able to understand, Erebus backed away from Saruna and turned his back on her. It looked as though he was telling her something, before he disappeared in a flurry of black clouds and demonic laughter. Could he have given them a second chance at life as a mockery? He could have ended it there and then, so why didn't he? All Sollux knew was that he was overjoyed to see that Saruna was spared, though he had to wonder if he could say the same for himself. The darkness covering the planet eased on Erebus' departure, but clouds remained, releasing rain over the destruction on Kanaya's home island.

Saruna faced Sollux again, and he saw a stab in her upper arm, likely received from her battle with Aradia. The ninja star dropped from her slender fingers and she ran toward him, dropping to the floor at his side and reaching out to him with a trembling hand. Scarlet tears ran down her face, mixing with the rain cascading over them, but Sollux had never felt happier to see them. He had never been happier to see her. Her fingertips brushed over his cheek gently, and she looked him over, her tears falling out quicker with every scan. Sollux tried to speak, but it came out as a gurgled weak groan that she hushed in a soft tone. She sobbed, covering her mouth with her other hand as she shook her head with a melancholy expression.

"I'm so sorry…" Her voice echoed to him like they were in a cave as his vision began to blur again. "Hang on, Sollux… Just stay alive… please…"

 _Saruna…_ Sollux heard her last words "just stay alive" a few times as a gentle echo in his mind. _Saruna… don't leave me…_

He saw her twist her head around to see behind her and saw two other figures come to a stop at her side before he was finally swallowed up into a void of darkness. But he remembered feeling Saruna's hand tenderly caress his cheek as he slipped away into unconsciousness. He had never felt more safe and at peace.


	22. Chapter 21: Erebus' Plans

**Hey everyone! Sorry, this update came a little bit slower, but it's here! Yet it is like I said before, they will start coming in slower because we are reaching the point where I am basically writing now. Thank you for your patience! Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 21: Erebus' Plans

Saruna sat by Sollux with her knees pulled up against her chest, watching him take shallow breaths as Terezi and Karkat finally finished tourniqueting his wounds with strips of his shirt and bandaging others thanks to a medical kit Terezi sniffed out in Kanaya's home. Sitting in that position honestly hurt a bit, as she had been ungracefully thrown into the ground during her scuffle against Aradia, but she didn't make any complaints. It had been a task wrapping Sollux's head well enough without mummifying him or touching his sensitive horns.

The rain had ceased, leaving them all soaked and shivering, but they did everything and anything they could for Sollux. By the time they finished, night had darkened the skies, but brought forth the moon and stars. Karkat paced back and forth, unable to rest afterwards, and Terezi sat silently near Saruna, almost as if she was also watching over Sollux as well once she wrapped up Saruna's arm. The silence was deafening and torturous, all they wanted was to hear Sollux.

Karkat eventually gave thought to find Kanaya if she wasn't lost in the fire, likely to find something to do to keep him sane from the stress of the entire situation. As he departed, Terezi sighed and removed her glasses, setting them on the ground beside her. She leaned in slightly toward Sollux, then pulled back moments later.

"His heart is still beating, his breathing is still weak, but he is alive." She said lowly to Saruna. "I don't know how he is though. He should be dead with all these wounds I smell. He's stronger than I knew…" Saruna only nodded, forgetting the fact that Terezi couldn't see her nod, but that was too far in the back of her mind to care. She only cared about Sollux waking up, talking to her, smiling at her, anything to assure her that he would survive. Erebus had given her a strange deal before he left the planet, and she replayed the scene in her mind.

* * *

He had appeared at her side when she was trying to get to Sollux quickly after slitting the throat of the Aries troll that had undeniably tried to kill him based on her hold on his battered, bleeding body, and she had a moment of worry that he would kill her then and there without a second thought. When he didn't, she became enraged at him, courage welling inside of her to speak to him.

"If you don't leave now, I will do everything in my power to kill you here and now." It was an empty threat. She knew that Erebus could have killed her before she laid a scratch on him in her current state of power.

" _This is how you greet the troll who was once your lover?_ " Erebus returned her glare, and it honestly shook her to her core, but she stood firmly in place. " _You don't remember me Saruna, but I certainly remember you._ "

"I know enough about you to hate you." Saruna hissed. "I know enough about you to want to kill you. You may have been my matesprite once, but that is a memory I don't have thanks to you and there is nothing in me that even wants to remember it. Why can't you just leave us alone?"

Erebus sneered at her, and it took her entire patience to not pounce at him and strike, " _Because you will get in my way somewhere in my quest to conquer the universe. If I get rid of you now, I don't worry about it later. It is as simple as that. Every part of me is telling me to finish of Sollux, have my way with you now, and kill the other two._ " At this, Saruna shot her arm out threateningly, Sollux's ninja star tight in her hold. Erebus eyed the weapon, then her and took a step back from her. She felt empowered when he did that. " _But another part of me feels like being nice to you. To pity you, baby._ "

"Don't call me that. Don't you dare call me that pet name." Something inside of Saruna felt strong, but she didn't know what. She was too infuriated to contemplate what had her adrenaline feeling so sky high. "I want you to leave Erebus. Leave or fight me now damn it."

" _Gog you're so fucking hot when you're pissed. Alright,_ " Erebus backed up further, then turned his back on her. " _I will leave. You have one week though Saruna. You know what that means? One week? That means seven days to save Sollux, seven days to get stronger, seven days to be ready to stop me. Don't bother hiding, because I will find you. Seven days is your limit before we settle the battle. Whether it be here, or his planet, I don't even fucking care. Realize, however, it won't be just me. The Aries babe there? She wasn't the only one I discovered. There are seven others besides her. But just remember this babe, seven days starts tomorrow the moment the sun rises. You had better be grateful that I am even giving you this chance. Aren't I a nice troll?_ " And he left with those words of promise to her, sending eternal shivers down her spine that would remain for the seven days she had.

* * *

Honestly, she was most bothered by what Erebus mentioned of "seven others" besides the Aries troll. Did that mean the rest of Sollux's friends? She buried her face into her knees, squeezing her eyes shut and shivering from the cold. Terezi scooted closer to her sensing her chilled shudders, but when Sollux faintly shivered, Saruna moved closer to him, bringing Terezi with her. She was exhausted, but nothing could get her to fall asleep even if she tried.

"Will he wake up…?" This was the fifth time she had asked Terezi the same question, mostly as an unconscious mumble.

"Saruna, I'm sure we have done all we could, we just have to wait for him to wake up." Terezi sighed. "It won't happen over night, you just… have to have hope."

The amnesia-ridden troll nodded again, and Terezi managed to feel her movements enough to know she had nodded this time. She twisted her head toward the home and sniffed gently before shaking her head lightly. Her intention was to find a blanket or two for them, but when she smelled wet wood, it struck her hard that everything in the home was probably soaked like them. Saruna tilted her head in the blind trolls direction, viewing how she looked. Terezi didn't seem like she had cried once in the day, her back was straight and her face was firm. How did she manage to stay so strong in times like this?

"Is there something on my face?" Terezi grinned as Saruna was clearly caught off guard based on the flinch she did. Sometimes she remembered that she was blind, and other times more often she forgot. "Or are you just staring because you have something to ask?"

"I guess it's more so the second one…" Saruna admitted, lowering her gaze. "It's just… you almost seem unfazed by all of this Terezi, and I'm… an emotional wreck. How do you do it? How do you and Karkat stay so strong?"

Her head turned towards her and it felt like she was staring right at her, "Karkat and I aren't unfazed by this. You can tell he is because he shows it a lot more dramatically sometimes in these cases. But I'm worried about Sollux too. I could smell a lot of things happening out here when Karkat and I were chasing after you. Fire, black licorice, and… I thought I faintly smelled strawberries, but I don't get how that can be. Aradia has been dead for a long time."

"The troll you're talking about, Aradia, was she… did her shirt have an Aries symbol?" Saruna asked softly.

Terezi gaped at her, her eyes widening a portion, "Yeah, she did. Her blood was a dark red, kinda like a burgundy color. Smelled like strawberries to me. How do you know her?"

"Because I fought her…" sighed Saruna. "Erebus had her under his control somehow… and she was the one that did this to Sollux. She almost killed him, but I made it just in time to stop her. There was black blood mixing with her own… proof that she was possessed without a choice in fighting Sollux. He didn't fight back at all… she didn't have a scratch on her."

"This is shit if Erebus can bring our friends back under his control…" Terezi growled. "It's not fair for them or us. Gog I wish Erebus would just fucking die…"

Saruna wanted to tell her what Erebus had said, but she pinched her lips together and remained silent. She didn't know why, Terezi had every right to know since she was in this fight too, but something in her just didn't want to make the matters worse than they already were. Karkat returned shortly after, stains of green blood on his shirt and mud on his hands. He had been blessed to find Kanaya, and give her a semi-proper burial though it was not the best. Saruna faintly saw streaks of red over his cheeks. He had cried over Kanaya again. It was another relationship she had inadvertently destroyed. Karkat sat on the other side of Sollux, rubbing his arms and shuddering. His sweater was likely still damp from the rain, offering him more cold than warmth. Saruna noticed him shiver and she frowned at his attempt to be strong and sit alone.

"Karkat, come over here with us." She said somewhat firmly. "You'll freeze by yourself over there."

He gave her an incredulous look, red eyes narrowing intensely on her, "What, do you expect us all to fucking snuggle together or something?"

"If we want to try and stay warm for the rest of the night, then yes." Saruna confirmed. "Now come here, we don't have any blankets to help us warm up, they're soaked from the rain. We are all we have out here."

The Cancer troll grumbled a little, but he stood and moved over to the two females, plopping down between them. Terezi almost immediately stuck to him like velcro, shivering more than Saruna remembered. Karkat was giving off a surprising warm heat, but he himself could not feel it. He grumbled when the females leaned into him, but didn't move away for their sake. Together the three trolls watched over Sollux, waiting for a sign of his consciousness. Terezi dozed off a few minutes in, but Saruna had determined that she would remain awake as long as Sollux was asleep. She pressed her cheek on Karkat's shoulder minutes at a time so she wouldn't fall asleep on accident, but the longer the night rode on, she found it harder and harder to peel herself away to sit up and regain her senses. Karkat glanced at her, the moon giving off enough light for him to see her half lidded eyes and he sighed.

"Go to sleep Saruna." He muttered. "You're exhausted."

"No, I have to stay awake." Saruna said in a slightly slurred and drowsy tone. "Sollux could wake up, I have to be there for him when opens his eyes…"

"Gog, stop being so fucking stubborn!" Karkat growled at her, but he softened his tone when she faced him with fatigued and slightly watery eyes. "Sollux probably won't wake up for a while Saruna… His wounds are severe and many. I don't know how he hasn't gone into shock or hasn't even died yet. He's stronger than I knew he was."

Saruna sighed, lowering her gaze to the ground and blinking rapidly to pull back her tears again. Her eyes had been watering since she found Sollux. She didn't want to cry anymore, she felt like she did it far too often. A hand snaked onto her shoulder suddenly and she was pulled against Karkat with a light tug. He was determined to let her get some rest, even if it meant breaking his own comfort zone. Saruna knew, though, that he simply cared. And because he cared, she also knew that he considered her his friend. A smile found her lips, and she almost lost the tears that she tried so hard to hold back. Giving in to his persistence, Saruna pressed against him to get comfortable, and she allowed herself to close her eyes and try to relax. As she began to drift off, she faintly heard Karkat speak out, unsure if it was directly at her or spoken into the air to release his thoughts.

He said, "I think I know why Sollux is still alive. He wants to make sure you stay safe. He won't drop dead until he knows that fuck-ass Erebus has first. There's also more to it however… I believe he has flushed feelings for you, and I don't know how you feel about him, but he's had his heart crushed too many times already. First with Aradia, then with Feferi, and losing a ton of our friends didn't help. All I know is that something about you intrigues Sollux, and I know damn well he won't give up. So don't you fucking give up on him okay? Believe in him… like I know he believes in you."

Saruna would have asked Karkat more about what he said, but she was too tired now. He was a comfortable pillow ironically, and she drifted off into the sleep she had desperately been trying to refuse.


	23. Chapter 22: Seven Days, Seven Trolls

Chapter 22: Seven Days, Seven Trolls

Seven days had began when Saruna awoke the next morning. One week before Erebus would find them for the final battle. She wasn't sure what to do when she woke up, Karkat and Terezi were still asleep, leaned against each other comfortably. The sunrise was a sight to see, bright and beautiful shimmering rays lighting up the land around them. Saruna was able to see the damage of the fire in the field and the destruction of Kanaya's large home completely.

The worst part of being able to see again was she could discern the clear damage to Sollux's body. She could see the bruises over his body, the multiple lacerations, the stabs. There were scars from earlier battles, one on his shoulder from a toothbeasts claws, and she wondered if his leg had ever completely finished healing from the toothbeasts' bite. Her eyes drifted to his face, wrapped partially with bandages though the back was considerably soaked with his blood. Surely laying on the hard grassy ground wasn't good for him, so Saruna carefully lifted him into her lap, both with her own strength and with a little test of psionics.

Holding him reminded her that Karkat had spoken to her before she fell asleep. She was sure that he was talking to her, but she couldn't quite remember all that he had said. It was coming to her in bits and pieces. Saruna sighed when her mind wouldn't correctly piece it together, and she gave up on it. Perhaps it wasn't too important if she could not remember it, but it would bother her along the way. She glanced over at the island in the distance that Sollux had demanded she, Karkat, and Terezi would go to get away. There was no way they would get there with Sollux like this.

"I wish you didn't send us away." Saruna brushed her fingers over his messy bangs, removing them from his eyes. They had grown a bit longer since she had first met him, same with the rest of his spiked hair. "If I knew what was going to happen sooner, I would have stayed with you. I know I'm not very strong, and I haven't been able to practice my powers, but I think I fought well against… Aradia. She was strong… she managed to slam me into the ground once… but how many times did that happen to you?"

She began to stroke his cheek tenderly, bottom lips quivering. "You couldn't fight back, could you? She meant a lot to you, and you said that you killed her before even though it was against your will… so you couldn't do it again and you took everything she threw at you… without complaint. I'm sorry, but I killed her… because she almost killed you. I did not know her personally like you, so I will not be as scarred. But you… I could not lose you Sollux. You mean more to me than I can explain. I hope you wake up soon, because I'm lost without you right now. Erebus will return, too soon for any of us to be truly prepared. For you to be recovered."

She heard Terezi moan softly, and paused to address if she was awake or not. When neither she nor Karkat made any sudden movements to show consciousness, she returned her attention to Sollux and sighed. It was rather dismal that she truly did not know what to do without Sollux, but she had came to terms with that days after knowing him. He was her sanity, her safety, her own personal guardian angel from the heavens, and though she had known him for only eighteen days now, they felt like an eternity to her. Sollux had always been there for her, and now she was going to be there for him. If she had any hope to help him, however, she needed to get stronger. With the home mere feet away, she could use pieces of it as good practice as long as she was careful not to zap Sollux on accident. She searched for something small, like a little piece of wood or glass, and spotted a small frame.

"Wish me luck, Sollux…" She sighed, finding herself to be a little frightened, but determined to do something.

Saruna worked through the remaining morning, lifting small items or broken chunks of the house and placing them outside the home until she progressively moved up the size chart to larger items or chunks of wall. Surprisingly, she felt only a little strain with each larger item, and encouraged, she began to lift multiple things at once. While she wasn't as talented as Sollux, she felt better with her abilities once she was able to start throwing things at a good distance. In the back of her mind, however, she knew one thing was lacking. She needed to be able to fly around like Sollux, even though the thought of it shook her. While she had somehow managed to levitate a bit during her return to help Sollux, Saruna wasn't sure if she could will herself to do it now that her adrenaline had faded and her senses had returned. To avoid the idea, she excused herself since she was holding Sollux in her lap. Soon after, she heard Karkat yawn, tilting her head toward him to see him rubbing his eyes. Terezi, disturbed by Karkat's awakening, pulled herself up and stretched.

"That was… a better sleep than I expected honestly." Karkat stated, rolling his neck around to remove any kinks. "I thought I wouldn't sleep for shit after yesterday's crap."

"I agree." muttered Terezi before she grinned slyly at Karkat. "Although I think it's because you're so warm and comfortable Karkles."

"Shut up…" Karkat growled, desperately trying to hide the faint blush rising on his cheeks by turning his attention to Saruna. "Has there been any sign of him waking up? Is he doing okay still?"

Saruna nodded, "He's okay, I just thought the floor wasn't very comfortable for him so I pulled him into my lap."

"Are your eyes sparking?" The loud Cancer troll blinked. "Are YOU okay?"

Saruna couldn't help but laugh at this, "I'm practicing my psionics. If I ever want to be useful to this team I need to get better at using them. I need to be able to use them like Sollux if we want to beat Erebus or I'll just be… a nuisance." She could almost hear Sollux berating her for her past times of feeling like a nuisance. It made her smile a little, as it was a memorable moment of her new life.

"Yeah, you do need to get better." confirmed Terezi. "Or you really need to learn how to use a weapon because you need to know how to protect yourself. It sounded like you did a number on Aradia, so there's a start. What did you even use?"

"A ninja star that Sollux gave me." Saruna explained. "But I'm afraid I dropped it when the fight was over."

"No no no! You need that star!" barked Terezi. "That is now your weapon! Damn it, I'm going to go sniff for it now."

True to her statement, the blind Libra troll grabbed her glasses, stood and stalked off with her dragon cane tapping the ground as if searching for the small ninja star through it. Saruna almost felt a little bad for dropping it in the first place, since Sollux gave it to her, but she had acted on her panic upon seeing him laying on the ground in a watery puddle of his blood. All she had cared about was getting to him and making sure he stayed alive. Thus far he had somehow managed to survive despite all the blood he had lost along with every deep wound. Hopefully he would continue to survive, or even better wake up soon.

Relaxing her psionics, Saruna sighed almost in relief to have a small break, and she realized her head was hurting a little, but otherwise not strained at all compared to her very first practice run. If only Sollux could have seen it…

"I didn't know you could do that much." chirped Karkat, and he stood to move to her front so she didn't have to turn to face him. "You haven't been able to practice much since our fight with Terezi, so how have you managed this much? Do you just remember?"

"No, I don't really understand myself, but I guess it's because I want to protect everyone like they have protected me." Saruna confessed, lowering her eyes down onto Sollux. "Ever since I woke up with no memory, Sollux has kept me safe. He always has… from taking a piece of Erebus out of me… to now. Then you and Terezi seem to have my back when you can watch it. So I just… I want to help. Pull my own weight around too. The only way to do that is by getting stronger and finding a way to use my psionics without hurting myself in the meantime."

Karkat nodded in understanding, glancing between her and Sollux a few times before he frowned to himself. Saruna found him with a contemplating expression, his bottom lip bit back a little in his fangs. He seemed to be going back and forth on a matter that he wasn't sure if he should speak with her on. She was about to speak up and ask what was on his mind, but a long sigh from Terezi trudging back to them made her forget about it.

"Here's the star." The Libra troll handed her a slightly burgundy and black stained star, undeniably the same one Sollux had given her. "I found it by the light scent of strawberries and black licorice, but… I didn't find Aradia's body?"

"Her body is gone?" Saruna lifted her head in alarm. "She should still be in that black field there, how can she be gone?"

"Hold up a minute! Aradia's dead!" sputtered Karkat as he shook his head in confusion. "What do you mean you couldn't smell her? How could she possibly be in the burnt field? This isn't even her planet! She's been dead for a long time now!"

"Saruna told me that Erebus had her under his control somehow, and that's how Sollux ended up like this." explained Terezi. "It was undoubtedly her, Karkat. My nose does not lie to me about scents that I remember…"

"Gog fucking damn it!" Karkat slammed a fist on the ground. "Saruna, is that true!? Tell me it isn't true! Erebus can't fucking do that!" Her bi-colored eyes met his sadly, and that was enough to confirm what he didn't desire either. He ran a hand through his hair and growled in frustration. "That isn't fucking fair! He shouldn't be able to just fucking bring back our friends and use them like fucking pets against us! It's muscle beast shit!"

Saruna nervously swallowed when Karkat mentioned his other friends, only serving to remind her of Erebus' threat once again. Her muscles involuntarily clenched up as she specifically recalled him saying that there were seven other trolls like Aradia that he had found. She never did get to find out who the rest of Sollux's friends were, just those who were still alive and those who were most precious to his heart. A twinge of fear struck her and she prayed that her confirmation wouldn't add up.

"Karkat, Terezi, can you guys name off the rest of your friends to me?" She requested desperately. When they both looked at her curiously, she added, "Please… I need to know. It's an emergency now."

Karkat lifted an eyebrow at her, still frustrated about the revelation over Erebus, but he thoughtfully looked at the ground, "Like all of those who are dead? Them?"

"Yes, besides Aradia and Kanaya though." Saruna said. She was beginning to shake with worry. "Who else is there…?"

"Well, there's Vriska," started Terezi.

That was one. "And Gamzee."

Two. "And… Tavros too."

Three. It was already off to a bad start.

"Then there was Eridan and Feferi." included Karkat.

Four and five now. "And… last are Nepeta and Equius."

That was seven. Exactly what Saruna did not want to hear. She exhaled weakly and lowered her eyelids in dissatisfaction. Now she realized, she really didn't have much of a choice but to tell the Cancer and Libra trolls since she had inquired so randomly about their deceased friends. The suspicious looks in their eyes (more so Karkat's, Terezi lips twisted in curiosity since her eyes couldn't give away her current emotion) told her that she needed to start talking.

Though a little unwilling to put them on the edge like she was, Saruna told them everything important Erebus had said, mainly of the seven others he had discovered to use like Aradia. While she spoke, she had an odd and sudden thought cross her mind, but was unable to ponder it until she was finished. Karkat showed his infuriation through a rage of curses and he had to stand to cool himself down by stomping around and viciously running a hand through his hair while clenching the other. Terezi only leaned on her dragon cane, every feature in her expression upset, but also worried and reflective, like she knew she would have a slightly difficult time facing all her old allies like Sollux had.

In the meantime, Saruna was able to run by her curious thought. There were seven trolls that Erebus said he had to control, now undeniably friends of the past that he somehow managed to find and plot so sickeningly well. He had given her a weeks time to prepare…but were those seven days to prepare herself and save Sollux, or were the seven days just time for him to get each of the trolls under his control? Needless to say, it intrigued her, but it didn't do anything to help her figure out a way to stop him.

"Fuck, I don't know what to do." snarled Karkat in frustration as he finally returned to sit down with a heavy sigh. "I didn't want to think this crap could happen… but here it fucking is, right at our feet."

"There's nothing we can do about it right now." sighed Terezi, and she shook her head shifting her weight on her cane. "Saruna, you absolutely _need_ to figure out your powers now, as soon as you can in this weeks time."

The Gemini female troll nodded, "I will try my best. If this is really going to be the final battle, then I need to be at my best."

"It's not just because of that Saruna." muttered Karkat in a hopeless sound of defeat. "You do not personally know our friends. You don't have memories with them. If Terezi or I ever hesitate to kill them… you have to help us."

She solemnly glanced between the two, realizing that they likely had close friendships in the seven trolls as well. Sollux wasn't the only one with Aradia as a challenge, though his was simply tougher because he had flushed feelings for the Aries girl. Saruna was the only one who could battle against them without her memories getting to her, guilting her in ceasing her fighting unlike Sollux, Karkat and Terezi.

"Don't worry. I'll help the three of you when the time comes." She promised. "But don't worry about that until the day comes closer. We just need to… prepare."

"Thanks." said Karkat. "This time at least lets my stomach wound finish its recovery, as it's still not completely healed up. And it helps the both of you a little bit too. Then with Sol… we just have to hope he wakes up in time. Otherwise, the fight will be that much harder, having to protect him while defending ourselves.."

"I won't let Erebus hurt him again…" Saruna quietly swore. "This time the fighting will come to an end… and we will come out of it victorious. That is… my own personal promise to all of you and to myself. I may have failed before in my past, but I won't this time."

Her face set with determination, Saruna gazed down at Sollux and the ninja star in her fingers, her resolution growing stronger. Karkat and Terezi agreed with her, their own resolves also decided. Together they would win the fight, protect each other with all their strength and save the universe under the threat of Erebus. Of course… they would feel stronger if Sollux was awake with them to set the plan in motion, but it could not be helped.

"Terezi and I can tell you about our friends though." chirped Karkat. "We know how they fight, but you don't know what you would be getting yourself into battle wise."

Saruna nodded slowly, aware that knowing what the other trolls could do would give her an edge just a little. She wouldn't have a great advantage since her powers were so similar to Sollux's, but if she could anticipate their every move, she would be able to handle herself better. They took turns describing each of the seven trolls, and Saruna sometimes saw them either frown or become lighthearted on some certain trolls. Others were usually spoken of in an indifferent tone, like they were well acquainted, but they had no significant part in their personal lives.

Within a few hours, Saruna believed she personally knew each of the seven trolls fighting style by heart without having met them. Personality wise, she wouldn't know what to say for them. She realized how stiff she felt as well, and reluctantly set Sollux back on the ground so she could stand and stretch out herself. Karkat and Terezi followed her actions, saying quizzically, "So, tell us about how they fight."

It was smart of them to test her afterwards, she thought. Unsure of where to begin, Saruna tried to think of a troll off the top of her head to start with. Yet her mind had failed to correctly remember the names of each of them. All she needed was a refresher and she was certain that she could roll with it. Karkat appeared to notice her blunder, so he spoke up and asked about Tavros. Saruna tapped her chin in thought.

"He wields a jousting lance, but can communicate with animals with mind powers to get them on his side." She described. "But… you guys mentioned that he didn't like to fight?"

"No, he didn't." sighed Karkat. "He couldn't hate anything either. Even the fucking thorn in his side, Vriska… but being under Erebus' control leads me to believe he won't be able to refuse fighting us. None of them will be able too… okay, tell us about Vriska since I mentioned her earlier."

"Tricky, manipulative, cunning, dangerous, and a huge bitch is what you said often about her Karkat." Saruna grinned at him, and saw Terezi shake her head with a frown. "You said she usually uses eight enchanted dice, called Fluorite Octet and the better the outcome the stronger the resulting weapon or power boost from them. She has vision eightfold… and she reached God Tier, and she can use mind control on some people or things. D-does that mean she could turn one of us against each other?"

"She's never been able to control me directly." said Terezi. "She just pulled the right strings to make me look at the sun and go blind. But she has controlled Karkat before, and Sollux once to kill Aradia. Otherwise, it isn't very threatening."

Saruna hoped she couldn't be controlled, but there was no telling what could happen with Erebus having complete possession over them. She lowered her gaze to the ground until Terezi spoke up and inquired about Nepeta and Equius. They were easier to remember because they were paired together during their description of battle.

"Equius is very strong with his bare fists and Nepeta uses long claws that unsheathe from the gloves she wears. Together, they are a deadly duo because they were moirails even in death." Saruna informed. "They are just as dangerous alone though, so it is best not to get too close to them unless you fare in close combat."

"Which Karkat and I do well in." Terezi grinned malevolently, hitting the end of her dragon cane on the ground and leaning on it. "Okay… next is going to be Eridan." The slight sound of distaste in her voice was not missed, but Saruna shrugged it off and recounted him as well.

"He wields a magical wand with devastating power. It doesn't sound like either of you two were very fond of him either."

Karkat growled at this, every part of him seeming to scream a large amount of contemptuousness, but he said nothing. Terezi only let on with an annoyed sigh and she waved off Saruna's question before changing the entire subject with "What about Feferi?"

Seeing that Eridan was dropped like a rock, Saruna pondered on her sixth person. There actually had not been very much given on Feferi when she thought about it. Karkat and Terezi could only give basic information about her, saying they never really saw action from her but a few moments in the past.

"She uses a trident, three pronged forked on both ends, and she is deadly with it." Saruna paused for a moment before adding, "You said she and Eridan are seadwellers, so they would be most dangerous in water. If we remain on this planet, we need to beware of the lake there and the ocean around the islands."

"Good observation." applauded Karkat, though he didn't offer her a smile. "I'll have to take that into account too. Now, for the last troll. Gamzee."

The name in itself made Saruna shudder. There was a lot said about Gamzee, most of the spiteful things coming from Terezi, while Karkat quietly agreed with her with a light somber expression. Gamzee had murdered some of the trolls after going sober from a lack of sopor, his rage unable to be controlled. He was strong, capricious, deadly, and would be a major asset to Erebus. Even from the little bits of information, Saruna found herself frightened by Gamzee despite never personally knowing the fear he may have instilled in the others.

"He uses juggling clubs as weapons, but can use anything to his disposal." The amnesiac whispered. "He will probably be very menacing, if Erebus knows how to use him, but… anything or anyone Erebus possesses becomes stronger than before. We have to be careful for all of them."

Karkat nodded at her, sauntering closer to Kanaya's home where his sickles were setting on the ground. He picked them up and inspected them for a short time before his ruby eyes lowered onto Sollux. His lips thinned out suddenly and he turned on the balls of his feet, moving toward Terezi with a smooth pace.

"We need to keep up our strength before the battle." He determined lowly. "Will you train with me for a while Terezi?"

The blind female grinned brightly at him, separating her cane as a wordless reply. Saruna wished she could train with them, but she knew as much as they did that since her powers were not completely at her will, it wouldn't do much to help either of them. She was perfectly content returning to Sollux to care for him and watch the two trolls go at it genuinely, but also careful to not really hurt each other. Terezi was flexible, quick, and vicious with her attacks, while Karkat was maneuverable, defensive, and deadly.

They trained through the remaining day while Saruna changed a few of Sollux's bandages with careful fingers. Terezi had taught her when she reopened her wound from the overwhelming grief she felt learning about her past, and somehow she had retained the information despite her sadness showing. Being able to help Sollux had to have been the greatest feeling however, especially after he had helped her for so long.

Her heart ached for him as she finished wrapping his head and she stared at his resting frame for a short time. Eighteen days of knowing him and she felt like she knew him for many years. He was always there, and she aimed to do the same. Sollux saved her life far more than he knew, and she was more than willing to pay him back in full.

Shortly after they finished their bit of training, Karkat and Terezi went to drink from the small lake, and returned with a pair of glasses. Saruna recognized Sollux's glasses immediately, and she took them from Karkat with a grateful smile, looking over them in assessment. Miraculously, they were still intact and able to be worn, despite likely going through as much as Sollux had. She set them at her side, unwilling to lose them and thanked the two for finding them. By then, the sun was beginning to set again, ending the seventh day and foreshadowing the sixth day before Erebus' return. Saruna knew that waiting there was going to drive them insane after a while, but where else could they honestly go even if Sollux was awake? Remaining on the current planet would likely spare his home planet, and it would give them a place to return once the fight was over.

"I wish we didn't have to sit here to wait." huffed Terezi. "I'm going to die of boredom eventually."

"Shut it Terezi, I would rather have the time to prepare than be trapped in this current situation with seven of our friends fucking charging at us in cold blood to murder us without a fucking second chance of thought." hissed Karkat. "Just be patient damn it. We need Sol to wake up and recover or we will be screwed. I'm not saying I like being in this shitty situation either, I fucking hate it. But what other choices do we have? If you have any smart and reasonable ideas, please, go right the fuck ahead and tell me."

Terezi only stuck her tongue out at the Cancer troll who growled softly, but ignored it shortly after. He turned his gaze to the sunset while Terezi flopped over into a laying position with a long, unnecessary sigh. Saruna grinned lightly at their childish bicker, busy running her fingers through Sollux's hair in small, gentle and smooth motions. His hair was softer than it looked to be, and she questioned why she hadn't done this before. He had even touched her hair before! Her eyes lidded as she watched him inhale softly, twitching slightly either from a twinge of pain or somehow acknowledging her touch. She found herself smiling more either way, he was alive and that was all that mattered.

"Just wake up soon Sollux…" She said barely above a whisper, and she leaned in closer to him suddenly, her heart giving a dancing flutter in her chest. The moment her lips touched his forehead, she knew then that he meant so much more to her than she could have explained. She was flushed for him and nothing would change her mind on that. Whether he felt the same red feelings, she truly didn't know, but all that she could think about then, was how to keep him out of harm when the final battle arrived.

If there was anything more she was certain about, it was that she was willing to die for Sollux if it meant saving his life.


	24. Chapter 23: A Final Warning

**Hello everyone! This actually took a while to post mainly because I went on vacation hehe. But it's here now, a little late but here! So enjoy this next chapter, and if you're back in school, have a great year!**

Chapter 23: A Final Warning

There they were standing before him, each weapon of choice in their hands as they stared at him with sinister, unpleasant smiles on their faces. Darker skin meant possession, and lifeless, void filled eyes further confirmed the belief. It had been so long since he had seen his friends, and he certainly didn't find joy seeing them in his dreams like this. Erebus and Aradia stood in the middle, Erebus holding a high and mighty smirk on his lips as he twirled Aradia's hair in his fingers. The pain was doubled seeing Feferi on his right, her trident held gracefully in her hand as she blankly stared in his direction. Everyone, trolls that used to be his friends, and some enemies, stood before him with an unbridled desire to slay him.

" _The end draws near Sollux._ " Erebus purred, removing his hand from Aradia's long black hair. " _You ought to thank me for sparing yours and Saruna's life. I just couldn't let my new pets that I found go to waste._ "

Sollux snarled at him weakly, his breaths coming out heavy like he had just ran two marathons. His body felt similarly weak as to when Aradia was beginning to crush his body, added with multiple bashings from various blunt items. He tasted blood in his mouth, though anymore he was used to the taste of his own blood. His body felt like it was on fire too, burning from the inside out. Erebus chuckled at him and spread out his arms, motioning to the seven new trolls standing at his his side.

" _What do you think of my new army?_ " He asked rhetorically. " _Do you recognize some of them? I'm sure you do, they were some of your old friends from the past. I knew about them thanks to your dreams and thoughts Sollux. Karkat and Terezi helped in it as well, but it wasn't hard since each of your planets are so fucking close to each other anyway. It's going to be a fun battle Sollux… one that I will undeniably win. Try as you may, darkness always overcomes in the end._ "

The darkness around him dissipated, and Sollux blinked as he immediately recognized they were on Kanaya's planet again. Thunder and lightning boomed in the sky and Sollux narrowed his eyes fiercely on Erebus. Seeing he was so injured, Sollux feared that he was either badly beaten down, or he never got to recover completely from his previous wounds. His heart skipped a beat when he realized that no one was by his side. He searched the area, finding Terezi in a pool of her teal blood unmoving near the lake, and shortly after, finding Karkat with a bashed in skull. His body gave a shudder as he looked away quickly, eyes landing on the likely culprit of Gamzee.

Indeed the two juggling pins he held were stained red and the tall Capricorn troll was smiling maliciously like he did when he was sobered up, eyes giving off a demonic appearance to his slender form; a misleading show for the hidden strength he so terrifyingly held. It was hard to believe that he was once a laid back, high-as-fuck ally who wouldn't have harmed any of his friends, but even now Sollux could only recognize him as a subjugator and a terror to have to deal with.

Scanning over the rest of the trolls, he paused momentarily on Vriska and cursed under his breath. Her mind control would be a pain to deal with if she took over Karkat, and he didn't know if she could possibly get to Saruna too. Terezi was immune to her, and he was only caught thanks to that damn Mind Honey incident.

Then his eyes found Eridan, the only one not grinning but scowling. An all too familiar scowl at that. Sollux wished he could sock that look off the bastard seadwellers' face, but his body felt hopelessly numb and when he tested his psionics, he went through more pain than he really wanted to. Eridan would just have to die in the real fight by his own hands. Fucking desperate little water breathing piece of shit… just seeing him made Sollux's blood boil just about as much as seeing Erebus did.

Of course, seeing Equius in the group as well was just as aggravating, the blue blooded, muscular Sagittarius a bane to those of low blood color, especially Sollux. Yellow bloods were the third lowest on the hemospectrum, coming before bronze. Sollux always hated the hemospectrum, blood color shouldn't have mattered, all trolls were equal. Just because one troll was purple blooded didn't mean they had the right to stake claim over a lower blooded troll. Equius firmly believed in that stupid idea, despite his moirail Nepeta having olive blood, the fourth lowest blood color. To this day he didn't get how they came to be moirails.

Sollux gazed over each of them; Tavros, Nepeta, Equius, Feferi, Erebus, Aradia, Vriska, Eridan, and Gamzee. Then his eyes fleeted to Karkat and Terezi, observing their bloodied bodies somberly, until he realized there was still one person missing; Saruna. He looked around in a panic, finding her just slightly behind him, her breathing light and weak, and her head down. Something was off, however, he could tell the moment his eyes landed on her. First, she wasn't looking at him, there wasn't any sign of her really acknowledging him at all. Normally she would look at him face to face, or even offer a glance. Sollux heard Erebus chuckle lowly, and he glared back at him.

" _This is where your demise will happen Sollux, because you just can't fight the ones you love._ " Erebus took a few steps forward, lifting a hand up shrouded in black matter. " _I have two of them here on my side, and we both saw what happened last time with Aradia. I want to ask you something though. What would you do, if Saruna turned against you too?_ "

"She wouldn't…" Sollux growled at him, coughing up some blood. "There's no way you could get her to do that without taking over her mind. And from what I know, I can not either unless out of control with Mind Honey. She could be the same."

" _From what I know about these trolls behind me so far, one of them has mind control abilities._ " Erebus smirked, glancing backward partially. " _It will be fucking great once I know each of their abilities… I'm beyond the point of excitement now. Seven days really feels like a long time. But I suppose until then, I will say adieu, Sollux._ "

Sollux glanced back at Saruna in concern, but she wasn't behind him anymore, and when he looked back at Erebus and the others, they too had abnormally disappeared. Now he was on edge, trolls didn't just disappear into thin air. Karkat and Terezi weren't even in the places of their death, nothing of a trace left, everyone was just… gone.

Sollux watched as the entire scenery around him seemed to melt and he was alone again. He hated to be alone… it was the worst feeling in the world. The only thing that remained was the pain he was in, suffering with each passing second until he finally gave in and dropped to his knees. It looked as though the nightmare would never end, although this one was already completely different from the rest. Normally, he would be killed in the end somehow by someone, and he would then wake up in a panic, but with no one around to kill him, he was trapped. He searched for something, anything, but was greeted with all too familiar blackness.

"Is there no way out…?" Sollux muttered to himself. "Am I just… going to stay asleep until I die this time?"

The idea in itself wounded him. Here he had just had another warning of a dream that he wouldn't get to tell the others about if he never woke up. He cringed as his body gave a spasm of pain and he realized how much it hurt to sit up. Giving in to his weakness, Sollux laid down on the empty ground, rolling onto his back. Out in the real world, Saruna, Karkat, and Terezi needed him. Erebus would return, he had given that fair enough hint just a few seconds ago. It would be the last battle, the last chance to defeat Erebus and keep the universe safe. How could he fight though, if his body refused to wake up?

How could he protect Saruna if he wouldn't wake up?

"Saruna…" Sollux closed his eyes and imagined her watching over him as he laid unconscious before her. "I doubt you can hear me, but I just need you to wake me up somehow. We don't have much time, and I can't be stuck here. You have to try something, anything. I just need to wake up…"

He sat in silence for what felt like hours to him. Despite his hope that he could be awoken, Sollux couldn't help but feel doubtful. Laying there, unable to do more than breathe weakly, took a toll on hopeful antics. He was almost ready to give up until he heard faint footsteps coming toward him. As much as he wanted to see who it was, his body would no longer allow him to move, even in a lost dream. He waited until they were close, ready to open his eyes to see them or be killed finally so he could wake up screaming, but then he heard her voice, and he felt his entire demeanor change.

"Sollux…" Saruna was there beside him, and the Gemini male could hardly bring himself to believe it. He wasn't alone anymore as he felt her pull him against her into her lap. It had to have been the greatest feeling he had ever felt in a dream. "Just wake up soon Sollux…"

Out of nowhere, he felt something against his forehead. Something soft and gentle, like… like lips. Had she just… kissed his forehead? Sollux sighed out, content and relaxed. He felt like everything was better when she pulled away, his heart giving off a resounding beat. There was nothing wrong, there was no pain. His lips curve into a gentle smile as he could feel his subconscious beginning to fade. He was finally waking up… and it was all because Saruna was there holding him close to her.


	25. Chapter 24: A Way to Heal

Chapter 24: A Way to Heal

Sollux moaned lightly when his eyelids seemed to be blocking a bright light in front of him once his consciousness finally settled in. He tested his movements with a light shift of his fingers, and when that worked in his favor, he shifted his head with immediate regret. Holy shit, this light headed migraine was splitting, and fuck did his entire body feel sore and battered! And… that was undeniably blood in his mouth still, nothing had changed there. His body felt very stiff too… oh those were bandages tightly wound around various parts of him. The floor was also really uncomfortable, nothing compared to being in Saruna's arms, and he couldn't move very much to save his life.

Slowly, his heterochromatic eyes cracked open, squeezing shut again when they were greeted with bright sunlight. He almost hissed at the sun, and frankly he would have, if it didn't hurt so much to do it. Simultaneously, seeing the sun was a blessing, as it meant Erebus was not around. In the distance he could hear voices, faintly recognizing them as Karkat and Terezi, followed by a few clangs of metal hitting metal. Sollux tried to lift himself to see the source of the noise, but it ended with him growling in pain and allowing his body to lay as limp as it possibly could. Aradia had really given him a good beating, but it was his own fault for refusing to protect himself. He still couldn't believe it; Erebus had actually found a way to bring her back, and if his dream was right, the dark troll was bringing back the others as well very soon.

It was rather surprising that Saruna was not currently at his side, and he wondered where she was, wishing that he could do more than curl his fingers, blink repeatedly and breathe stiffly. He tested his voice.

"Hi." He cringed, disgusted with how weak and rough it sounded. "Hello."

Needless to say, he gave up on that test quickly, mainly because he felt stupid doing it. He was obviously still enervated; physically, mentally, heck even spiritually. Glancing upwards at the blue sky, Sollux pondered over how long he had been sleeping. He doubted it had been just one day, two would have been okay, and three would start pushing it. Erebus said he would return in seven days, but how many days actually remained now?

A sound of light footsteps caught his attention, and he carefully turned his head in the sounds' direction, wincing gingerly as he realized there was a massive kink in his neck. The steps halted, and he met the similar heterochromatic eyes of Saruna staring wide eyed at him. He offered her a smile of greeting and she let out what sounded like a happy wail, racing to his side while calling out for Karkat and Terezi. She dropped to her knees, shaky fingers brushing over his cheek as she spoke rather incoherently through her tearful blubbers. Karkat's boisterous voiced trumped hers for a moment, then Terezi's chirp rang in his ear, worsening his migraine, but he was pleased to see them alive. Sollux slowly turned his head to see the three trolls looming over him, faces elated to see him awake and responsive again.

"Does anything hurt?" Saruna ran her fingers down his neck to his chest, watching him with intense eyes. "Can you feel this?"

"Yeah," Sollux said, surprised that her feathery touch didn't hurt him. "I'm… fine. I have a splitting headache but… that should go away eventually."

"Gog, don't make us flip the shit out like that again Sollux!" hissed Karkat. "We thought you were going to die on us. Fuck, it's good to see you awake again."

Sollux smirked teasingly at the Cancer troll, but it was short lived as a painful throb in his head made him cringe. Saruna leaned over him in worry, but Terezi waved her off, insisting she give him some air to breathe. He didn't mind, it honestly didn't make very much of a difference. His eyes overlooked her, and he noticed that her forehead was no longer wrapped up, a partially scarred cut running healthily just under her hairline. Her upper arm was wrapped up now, slightly stained red. She appeared to be well otherwise, a little spooked, but for the most part relieved and healthy.

"Guys… I had a dream about Erebus." Sollux wanted to break the news quickly, so he informed them about the seven remaining days and of their deceased friends. Based on the lack of surprise, Sollux eventually trailed off slowly until Karkat sighed heavily and nodded at him in complete understanding.

"Yeah, Saruna told Terezi and I about this." He grumbled in disdain, baring his sharp teeth at the thought. "She said Erebus told her right when she saved you from Aradia. We only have five days left until he comes back with the others…"

Five days.

So that meant he was unconscious for two of the days, technically about two and a half since he fell unconscious in mid-day. That also meant he had known Saruna for twenty days now, and the fateful battle would fall on the twenty-fifth day. Nonetheless, Sollux knew he needed to be recovered before the five days were over, or the fight would be near impossible to win. A long and tired sigh left him, and he weakly glanced at Karkat, then Terezi. He had an idea pop into his mind, but he wasn't sure how the others would react to it, nor did he have the certainty if there were enough days to pull it off. Additionally, he felt rather selfish for even coming up with the idea.

"You have that thoughtful look Sollux, what are you thinking about?" Saruna, as usual, was right on target with her facial reading. He reprimanded himself for having such conspicuous expressions that she could pick out in seconds.

"Do you remember those blue flowers we ate back on Terezi's planet?" He watched their curious reactions carefully before continuing. "One of you… or even two, could go back there from the transportalizer on the other island and find some of them. If Erebus is really coming in five days, we need to be at our full strength, and I doubt I will be fully recovered by then. Plus, you guys could probably use them too."

"But… they only heal small injuries and numb pain, right?" Saruna contemplated. "They won't help very much."

"They can speed up the process of healing though." added Terezi. "If we hurried we could probably find them." She stood, and Sollux immediately knew she had accepted his idea, choosing to embark on her own. "Will you guys be okay without me?"

Karkat jumped up in alarm, "You're not thinking about going alone are you?"

"Of course I am." The blind troll smiled innocently at him, fluttering her eyelashes at him in an attempt to fluster him. "I know my own planet the best, I can find the flowers easily."

"And how the fuck do you expect to cross the ocean by yourself?" He crossed his arms and smirked when Terezi's smile died a little. She had neglected that part of the journey, and now she was stuck. Either Karkat would go alone, or he would have to accompany her. "I'll go by myself, you stay here with Sollux and Saruna, in case something bad happens before I get back."

Sollux felt the hairs on his neck rise with paranoia. Erebus had apparently consumed planets in darkness, who was to say that Terezi's planet wasn't gone already? Letting either of them go was a risky and absolutely selfish request for him to ask them for, but going alone was a possible death sentence. He refused to let his friends potentially die all for his sake of getting a little better.

"Never mind, don't go." He said lowly, changing his mind on the matter completely. "I can't risk either of your lives just for my small recovery. Don't worry about it."

They became silent, but Sollux could see their conflicted expressions upon hearing him drop the idea. Saruna seemed to be the most torn from it, her breathing coming out in puffs, like choked, breathless sobs. Her eyes flitted between him and the others, a sense of disbelief coming from her. Before Sollux knew it, she was shaking her head, before she suddenly spoke.

"No!" Saruna cried, her voice full of panic as she looked desperately at Karkat and Terezi with pleading eyes. "Sollux can't recover in time, not in five days. I can protect him if anything happens here, I know I can! I would go by myself in a heartbeat to find those flowers, but I don't know where anything is like you two do! I'm begging you, Karkat, Terezi, please find those flowers for Sollux…"

"Saruna…" Sollux dropped his voice to a light whisper, unable to bring himself to speak against her. He knew she would have gone alone if she was stronger and more confident in her abilities, but with her unable to fly or protect herself as well as he could, he wasn't planning to let her anyway. Then again, she did save him from Aradia by herself. She was more than capable… but Sollux honestly didn't want her out of his sight. He gazed up at Karkat, observing his expression from her heartfelt plea.

Surprisingly, the cantankerous Cancer troll was straight faced, his ruby eyes locked on Saruna. Terezi, holding a similar expression except for her slight head tilt in Karkat's direction as if feeling for movement or reaction from him, was mute as well. Karkat would be the ultimate decider in this in the end… he was the only one that could lead Terezi to the island or go alone.

His eyes drifted onto Sollux suddenly, and he nodded without a word, turning on heel and embarking on his newly accepted quest. Saruna gasped softly as he made his departure, watching as Terezi followed behind him after giving her a light grin and tediously shifted her cane in her hand. Sollux felt a pang of guilt as they faded in the distance, but he knew they were doing it not just for his sake, but for Saruna as well. The battle with Erebus would be hell in itself, if they had any hope in winning, then it was up to the Cancer and Libra troll to make a speedy return to them. There wasn't any assurance that they would be back before the five days were over. They would either return in time, or Sollux and Saruna would face imminent death against Erebus and eight of their possessed friends.

As their silhouettes disappeared to the eye, Sollux heard Saruna whisper in a broken voice, "Please be careful…"

She was trembling, scared like he was. And if Sollux knew anything about her, he knew she felt just as guilty sending them out there as much he did.

He made sure to say his own prayer of safe return for them.


	26. Chapter 25: Reciprocate

**Hello everyone! How's it going? School is up for just about everyone it seems, but IM STILL WAITING. What torture I go through waiting for school. (Yes Im the weirdo that likes school) Of course, with school approaching, that does mean that updates will be here and there like most other stories. Sooooooooo, yeah. Enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 25: Reciprocate

Sollux watched as Saruna rather gracefully moved his ninja star around with her psionics, sending it out feet away before returning it to her hand and repeating the process. She had improved immensely since he was last conscious, and she even seemed more confident with her abilities as she lifted multiple things at once. He admitted he was impressed with her natural talent, though it could have only been natural because she had been able to use her powers before her amnesia induced incident. The way she moved, however, had Sollux entranced. She looked like she was dancing anytime she made a grand movement, her feet gliding under her as she shifted to get better positioning to hold whatever items she grabbed out of Kanaya's home. Sometimes, however, she would noticeably cringe and Sollux would tense up, fearing that she was straining herself, but she would shortly afterwards recuperate and return to her practice like nothing happened.

Being unable to move very much, nor use his psionics without risk of hurting himself, Sollux could only offer her words of advice when she came closer enough to hear him. If he felt better tomorrow, he would try to get up and test his maneuverability cautiously. Saruna would more than likely scold him, but gog he wanted to help her, and he wanted to be sure that he could do as much as he could should Karkat and Terezi not return in time. He flinched when Saruna faltered slightly in her psionics and insisted that she rest for a while to recover, but she shook her head at him, offering the gentlest of smiles and returning to her practice. Truly, Sollux thought, she was almost as stubborn as him when it came to things like this. It was one tiny attribute to her that the Gemini troll had to have worried the most about.

When she finally ceased her practice, the sun was already setting, an end to the third day, and soon to being the fourth when the sun returned. Saruna hunched over once she halted the use of her psionics, and Sollux could tell she was breathing a little heavy with exhaustion. She had worked hard today, he almost didn't want to imagine what the last two days had done to her. Her steps were rather wobbly as she made her way to him, and she flopped down with a sigh of relief. Sollux stared at her with disapproving, albeit impressed, eyes.

"I know…" She panted softly without having looked at him once to see his unhappy stare. "You don't want me to strain myself. But Sollux, I need to get better with my powers now. There isn't much time left before Erebus returns… and if I can't do anything, what use would I be for anyone?"

"I get that." Sollux said bitterly. "Yet that's not an excuse to tire yourself out to the point that you look like you're gonna faint. That won't do you any good when the battle comes and you're too tired to put up a real fight. Then you really would not be able to help anyone out, don't you think?"

Saruna opened her mouth to speak, but clamped it shut when she realized she had no way to fight that statement. Taking in heavy breaths, she calmed herself down in a few minutes and looked down at Sollux thoughtfully. His gaze was distant, looking at the multi colored sky from the setting sun. He must have sensed her looking at him, for he tilted his head slightly to meet her eye to eye.

"I need to teach you how to fly." He randomly stated, and Saruna cringed noticeably at the idea.

"Well, I did somehow when I came back to save you from Aradia, but I was only about a foot off the ground." She confessed. "I guess I managed to do that because I was just so scared that I wouldn't make it in time, that you would already be dead by the time I got here."

"How did you know?" Sollux asked. "How did you know I was in trouble? I told you to run away… but I guess I shouldn't be complaining, huh? I should be glad you did come back, or I _would_ be dead."

Saruna lightly tapped two fingers against her head, smiling at him faintly, "First, I heard the voices. They told me to go back and save you repeatedly, over and over. That was my first warning… but when I saw the fire in the distance, I remembered the dream you told me before we left your hive, about Aradia killing you in a field of fire. So I came back, and it seems that I had made it just in time too…"

"Yes, you did." Sollux agreed. "I am grateful you did. My body hurts like hell, but it's already better compared to before." He tried to lift his hand onto hers, but cringed at the unbelievable amount of pain it gave him just to try moving that much. Saruna took a hold of his hand and scolded him, running her thumb soothingly over the back of his hand until the pain eased. Honestly, it was the unbearable soreness in his muscles that was getting to him.

"Stop trying to move Sollux," Saruna sighed, setting his hand down once he was relaxed again. "You need to just stay down and rest before you cause yourself more harm than good."

"Only if you do the same." bargained Sollux.

She sighed at him, but the tired look in her eyes told him she did need to rest. He wondered if she had got any sleep since he was unconscious. However, she nodded at him and laid down next to him, resting her head near his shoulder. Sollux turned his head to see her better, pleased to know she would at least listen to him a little bit.

The sun gave out its last rays of light before disappearing to the other side of the world, replaced by a beautiful bright moon. For a moment, the Gemini troll had forgotten what night looked like; it was definitely more beautiful than absolute darkness. He felt Saruna shift closer to him suddenly as she grabbed his hand again, squeezing lightly. Normally when she gave him any sort of affectionate touch, Sollux came to learn, something was always bearing down on her mind that she needed to release to someone, and it was usually him.

"Are you alright?" He inquired in a gentle voice.

She didn't answer him immediately like he partially expected, but he chose not to prod at her thoughts. Whenever she desired, she would tell him what was bothering her, but he could take a reasonable guess. It was more than likely related to Erebus' return, Karkat and Terezi's unknown journey to find the blue flowers, or… maybe something else in the end. Sollux refused to take his eyes off of her until she spoke up.

"Is it wrong of me to be scared Sollux?" Saruna's bright bi-colored eyes were on him suddenly, her voice coming out in a shaky tone as her fingers curled tighter around his hand. "Is it wrong that I am scared for when Erebus returns in four days? That I have doubts? Aren't I supposed to be ready by now?"

"No one said you couldn't be scared or doubt that we will win.." Sollux lisped, and managed to roll his arm so he could hold Saruna's hand in his palm. He realized she was quivering. "I'm scared too, you know. There isn't a day lately that I don't think that I'm going to lose you, Karkat, or Terezi. That's why I fight so hard, and why I'm so stubborn I guess. I don't want to go through with losing another person so close to me."

"And what if I lose you, Sollux? What do I do then?"

She thought she would lose him? If Sollux swore on anything, he had sworn that he would survive long enough to make sure Saruna remained safe and alive. He certainly could not claim that he wouldn't die, seeing that he was so close to it just hours before. Undeniably, if anyone had to die, Sollux prayed it would be him instead of her. Pondering the right words to say, Sollux felt Saruna tremble at his lack of immediacy in denying her fearful claim.

"Sollux…?" She meekly whispered in a pleading voice, practically begging him to tell her that she wouldn't ever lose him. He didn't want to potentially say a lie but… he also didn't want her to panic or begin to cry or reprimand him for the thought that maybe he wouldn't make it.

The potential truth… that he could die.

"You won't lose me, Saruna." The Gemini troll said, wishing he didn't have to stretch the truth by a lot. He felt like an ass doing this; lying to her. "I'm not going to die on you. Nobody is going to die except Erebus and… those who are under his control. You just have to hold onto hope that we will succeed in this upcoming battle."

Fuck, he felt terrible. No, the future wasn't decided and for all he knew, he would survive the fight and live! However, the nightmare plagued him, just like every other nightmare he had. Karkat and Terezi were killed, slaughtered in his dream. It was easy to tell based on the bashed in head that Gamzee had got to Karkat, but Terezi's wound was from an unknown source. Sollux could imagine the fight would go two on one. There were nine enemies in all, so the four heroes could face two each, and depending on if Erebus joined would decide if Sollux would face three. There was no way he would allow anyone else to take on the demonic cloud troll. They would choose their enemies when Karkat and Terezi returned, but Sollux made a mental note to try and keep Karkat away from Gamzee. They had once been moirails, but it became a destroyed friendship and trust.

Sollux felt Saruna sigh against his shoulder, her breath warm on his skin. He kept forgetting that his shirt was gone, torn into strips to be used as tourniquets in order to halt the heavy bleeding. Bandages were his only cover on his chest and back, but half of his stomach could be seen clearly. At least he had his… torn up pants still on. As if it should have bothered him honestly. Terezi had done well to mend what she could with what she had.

"Okay… I believe you." Saruna gave his hand a squeeze and Sollux felt ten times worse, fearing his potential lies even more. "As long as you just… don't die. I don't want to lose you Sollux… so please, be careful."

The amount of care he heard in those words made his blood pumper quicken in pace. He wondered how it had come to this after meeting the timid amnesiac in such awful circumstance. There had been a time where she did not trust him, there had been a time where she was afraid of him. But that was twenty days ago, almost twenty-one now. Here in this time, they had full confidence in each other, they trusted each other, and cared about each other immensely. Sollux recalled when she had been most wounded by the toothbeasts, how scared he had been, and confessing to Karkat that he pitied her. He still did… but it was stronger than before, like it was being drilled into his brain every second, and anytime she was close to him like this… he always felt better, happier.

Strange… the last time he could remember feeling like this was…

Sollux restrained himself from sighing out loud, otherwise Saruna would surely question it and leave him at a loss for words to explain. The truth was plain and simple; he was red for Saruna. He loved her, and he was more than willing to give his life up for her any day at any time. If this battle would be his last, he was whole-heartedly prepared for it so long as the others were safe. Yes, that was going to be his plan, and Saruna could not know about it… not until… it was basically too late. Gazing at the stars appearing in the sky, Sollux felt rather shitty knowing that this was what he was doing to Saruna, but he had no regrets.

However, that also brought forth the question of whether he should tell her that he loved her. Frankly it would almost be cruel to tell her, only to die in a few days afterwards, but similarly, if she felt the same, it would be time he could have intimately shared with her, lost without ever knowing if she did or not. Sollux was afraid too. Both of the trolls he had loved before were killed, and he had almost started to believe that he was a curse in itself. The Mage of Doom had many terrible deals to it.

Still…

Sollux titled his head toward Saruna, finding her eyes closed, breathing light and serene. She had fallen asleep, and it had to be the most beautiful sight he could have seen laying in the field beneath the moon and stars. Her hand remained in his, looser than before but there. He watched her for a few seconds, admiring her with half lidded eyes. Ideas were certainly starting to get the best of him until he couldn't resist a single thought. He pondered on it.

Maybe if he could just… lean forward a little and… like his dream when she…

His lips brushed over her forehead sooner than he expected the distance to be, tenderly, just under the forming scar from the toothbeasts and he pulled back from her slowly. Damn. He had pulled off the cheesiest and sweetest move ever on the sleeping female before him, and he never felt more pleased doing it. A smile creased his lips as he looked over her facial frame once more. Nestling comfortably against the ground, Sollux allowed himself to relax and flutter his eyes closed. He wasn't very tired since he had literally slept for two days, but with Saruna at his side, he was more than willing to rest up again.

It was the best sleep he had compared to the two days of unconscious.


	27. Chapter 26: Inconceivable Care

Chapter 26: Inconceivable Care

"Please, please, _please_ , be careful Sollux…" whined Saruna as Sollux pushed himself painfully onto his feet. They had woken up a few hours ago and the moment Saruna insisted that she continue her training, Sollux insisted on trying to do the same. Despite her pleads, the Gemini troll stubbornly began to lift himself, the pain an obvious hinderer to his attempts.

Four days remained until Erebus' return and while Saruna was aware of this, she had hoped Sollux would rest another day. He was so sure though, so certain that he could do this, that she eventually gave up and aided him.

The first few tense seconds consisted of his legs trembling under him and Saruna offering him stability with her hands gingerly pressed on his shoulders. When he appeared to be stable, Sollux slowly lifted his hands to her wrists and pried her off of him. He gave her a smirk, like he was proud of himself for being able to do this, and also silently teasing her because of her fretting over him.

"See?" Sollux spoke with a pleased, snarky tone. "You don't have to worry. I can stand on my own, I have had enough rest."

"That doesn't mean I am not going to keep my eye on you." Saruna sighed. "Nor does it mean you can go wild with your powers. Coax yourself back into it, be slow and steady, and don't strain yourself."

"And so the taught try to tell the teacher what to do…" Sollux grinned when Saruna puffed her cheeks at him, her eyes giving off an irritated flicker. "I'm just kidding. I know what I am doing Saruna, stop worrying about me. I won't be so stupid as to let myself use my powers too much and render myself useless when the time comes."

Saruna's expression softened like she believed her words sounded as if she had doubted him, but truly didn't, and she nodded at him, "I know you won't Sollux."

He released her wrists then and she turned her back to him, starting her practice at once with his ninja star in her psionics. For the most part, Sollux intended to watch her closely now that he could actually watch where she went, but he knew he needed to test himself carefully. Grabbing his glasses from the ground, he was highly surprised but pleased when there wasn't a single crack in sight despite being tossed around like a rag doll with him. He situated them on the bridge of his nose, relishing the familiar feeling of them. His eyes drifted onto the black heap of Hecate in the distance, surely beginning to rot though he couldn't smell anything. Aradia seemed to have taken most of his ninja stars from the beasts body to use against him, but had she used all of them?

While Saruna began her practice, Sollux vigilantly sauntered to Hecate's body, careful not to fall lest Saruna bark at him and force him to rest again. It definitely took longer than he liked, but he eventually made it the the grand dragon, its blood dried on its scales and the ground after a few days of sitting under the sun. Sollux wrinkled his nose as a horrible scent of death flooded his smelling sense once he was a few feet away. Thank gog it was a controlled smell so far, it was absolutely terrible, it nearly gagged him.

Refusing to stay longer than necessary, Sollux managed to find three of his ninja stars lodged in the dragon and tested his psionics by pulling them out and carrying them back on his return to Saruna. That in itself wasn't too bad thankfully. He stopped by the lake to wash the blood off, then proceeded to levitate them around for fun. How reminiscent it felt to him, as he used to float the weapon stars around just to entertain him anytime he was bored in his hive. It was a good mind workout too, easy on the psionics, but enough to get use out of them. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long before his entire body gave a jerk from a painful jolt of his psionics, and the ninja stars fell to the ground. Somehow, he managed to keep himself up, but the whole scene was witnessed by Saruna who came sprinting toward him.

Sollux huffed. Of course she saw him in a weak moment.

"Are you okay?" She looked over him with wide eyes, fingers brushing over his arms and occasionally his chest as if she searched for opened wounds.

Sollux flippantly waved off her hands, realizing how painfully sore it felt to make the waving motion, "I'm fine, I just had a small shock is all."

"I knew you should have rested longer." Saruna muttered. "But you had to insist that you were fine, and it is clear that you still aren't. Really now Sollux, you're going to give me a blood pumper explosion."

Sollux felt incredibly tempted to start mocking her suddenly, desiring to say she did the exact same thing anymore in hopes to drive her off course of getting him to rest, but he bit his inner cheek and swallowed back the words. She had every right to be worried about him right now as much as it disgruntled him to admit that. He was still weak, and unable to do very much as just proven to his disdain. Would he recover in time, should Karkat and Terezi not make it? At this rate, the answer leaned toward the negative side, and that was highly troublesome.

"I know you really don't want to, but will you please get another days worth of rest?" Saruna pleaded, her eyes soft as she addressed Sollux with an undeniable amount of tenderness. "What good will it do if you hurt yourself again?"

The Gemini troll sighed lowly, squinting an eye incredulously at the amnesiac before reaching down and grabbing his three weapons (making sure to hide the wince his expression gave out in doing so). By no means did he want to argue with her, but he didn't want to lose this fight empty handed.

"I will rest if you let me teach you how to fly." He bargained, pleased to get a new reaction out of her besides worry when her shoulders dropped in defeat. "It will help you in the upcoming fight, Saruna. Staying on the ground is a dangerous area if you remain too long."

"What about Karkat and Terezi?" Saruna inquired, clearly trying to find a loophole in the deal. "They can't fly, yet you seem okay with that."

"That's because they know how to use the grounds landscape and can look out for each other while protecting themselves. You are still but no more than a novice on fighting, and don't deny it. We didn't have enough time to practice together." Sollux crossed his arms, adding. "Also, if you can fly, I know you can get away if the situation ever went from bad to worse."

Saruna's eyes sparked with alarm on hearing this, and she leaned closer to Sollux with crossed arms, yelling rather angrily, "I will not flee this fight if things get bad! The last time I did that, you were nearly killed! You can't expect me to leave you a second time, you're crazy to even bring up that horrible thought again!"

Sollux narrowed his eyes on her, his arms slowly uncrossing, but he did not falter against her irate reactions. He straightened himself to his best ability, standing about a foot over Saruna when she was leaned over some and he remained silent. Her body straightened to match him despite her still being a few inches shorter in height comparison and she glared at him, psionics alight with her increasing vexation. She was waiting for an answer, waiting for a challenge to her defiance, she _wanted_ to fight. It was a new revelation about her that Sollux didn't expect, especially since she was normally so docile and quiet.

However, he could guess she was challenging him for a few reasons. One, was to get her way simply because she believed he would fight back and lose against her reasonings so he would submit to her in defeat. Two, was to try avoiding flight lessons both to steer clear of her fear of heights and flying, and to keep him from using more of his psionics. Third and last… Saruna simply had no desire to leave him again in fear for his life, just like he feared for hers and she was more than willing to bicker with him to get her way this time.

Lowering his eyelids, Sollux remained silent, keeping a firm gaze on the troubled female before him. Saruna was starting to falter due to his lack of reply, the zaps over her eyes becoming less frequent as her heterochromatic eyes began to soften.

"D-Did you hear me Sollux?" Saruna shifted uncomfortably under his dominating stare, unsure how it affected her so much even when she could barely make out his eyes behind his glasses. "I said I'm not leaving you… not this time. You can not make me run away from this fight, no matter how bad it gets. I would rather… I would rather die than leave you."

Sollux was taken aback by her words, uncertain what to think of them. A part of it scared him, and another part of it brought him an insurmountable joy. He searched for the right words to speak, something meaningful and kind, but it all came to a similar conclusion somehow: how flushed he was for her, how he wanted to protect her and survive so they could be together in peace, and maybe he could tell her the truth! For now, he couldn't confess to her. He didn't want to risk anything.

"Saruna, I understand that you don't want to go through that again, so I won't force you." He said, just above a whisper. "But that doesn't mean you can avoid learning how to fly, that will really help you out if you truly want to help me. This fight won't be easy, there are nine trolls aiming to kill the four of us. I can't always be there to save you sometimes." Reaching his free hand out, he grabbed her arm loosely. "So I'm asking you to know your limits, but also get stronger so I don't have to tell you to get away when I can't be there, when the situation _becomes_ bad. Do you understand? I would rather die than lose you, Saruna."

Just like that, Sollux had won. The tension in her body relaxed completely as she mitigated her every feature toward him when he finished speaking. She must have realized that it was a hopeless fight for her to win, especially since Sollux basically repeated what she had said last night.

They didn't want to lose each other.

Saruna's lips parted like she was going to say something, but words failed to escape her and Sollux slowly removed his hand from her arm with a sigh. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments before he lowered his head toward the ground, aware that their conversation was over. He brushed past her then, heading back to where they normally relaxed to get the rest she had originally asked of him. The day was quite satisfying as it was, and even feeling Saruna's eyes on him was okay. As long as she understood his priorities now, he would gladly rest for another day.

Of course, she still wasn't going to get away from her flying lessons.


	28. Chapter 27: As the Days Come to an End

**Hello everyone! I certainly didn't expect to take this long to update, but WOW, school knows how to steal your time doesn't it? So this chapter is exceptionally long, and hopefully rather satisfying. I will try to update as often as I can but please don't expect it to come so soon! Thanks for your patience, and enjoy!**

Chapter 27: As the Days Come to an End...

Two days were left and neither Karkat or Terezi had returned with the petals yet. It bothered Sollux that they were taking so long, and there was always a small nag in the back of his head that something could be wrong, but he would shake it off and tell himself that they were fine. The two trolls were more than capable to fend for themselves if Erebus did go after them, but he had said he wouldn't attack for seven days. Sollux could only hope that they would return soon, though on his own he made impressive strides of recovery.

On the third to the final day, Saruna had gave in and asked Sollux if he would teach her how to fly, and he was more than willing to help her out. His limitations were still high, however, preventing him from levitating too long with his own strength. With that knowledge, he worried if Saruna should panic and fall from a great height after figuring out some of her abilities, would he be able to catch her safely in his psionics? The paranoia sent him into a small panic and he began to doubt his own words of getting her to fly. Instead, they used the day as getting a little more rest and Saruna worked further on her other psionic uses, while Sollux tested all that he could to surpass his current limit to assure Saruna's safety.

Now, with two days remaining, and no sign of Karkat or Terezi, Sollux and Saruna came to a silent agreement that they needed to do all that was necessary for their chance at living. Saruna was afraid due to the trembles her body gave off as Sollux did his best to describe how to focus on levitating the body, but he found it to be a difficult task. How did one tell another how to use psionics to fly? Normally it came naturally, like it did with himself, and required a little practice. Based on Saruna's expression, he made little sense to her. Sollux sighed heavily, tapping a foot on the ground anxiously.

"Shit Saruna, I don't know how to explain this to you." He admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I've never thought of it until now honestly."

"It's okay…" Saruna stated. "It honestly seems to be a difficult concept to grasp. I'm worried I won't be able to do it at all, even if my nightmares once showed me flying. Maybe I was able to before I lost my memory, but now I just can't." She lowered her eyes to the ground, deep in thought as she desperately tried to pry into her mind, searching for answers that she lost. When that didn't work, and made her more frustrated, she shook her head. "I'm sorry Sollux, I really don't know what to do."

Sollux dropped his hand from his face the moment he heard the tiniest hint of sorrow in her voice. He refused to let her be upset because of this. There had to be a way to teach her, without being so damn confusing. That's when he had an idea. Whether it would work or not, he didn't have a clue, but it was worth a shot. He reached for her hand, pulling it upwards between the two of them before he intertwined their fingers. Saruna gave him a discombobulated stare, a faint scarlet blush appearing on her cheeks once she registered what he had done. Then he grabbed her other hand and did the same with it, their hands symmetrical to each other side by side. A light flicker of psionics jumped from behind Sollux's glasses.

"Do you trust me?" He asked Saruna in a gentle tone.

She merely nodded at him, eyebrows creased in evident confusion. Sollux smiled at her reassuringly, those double fangs protruding from his lips in the cutest overbite way. It eased Saruna greatly as she returned the smile, before her hands and arms were lightly jolted with psionics. While it didn't hurt, it surprised her and she tightened her hold on his hands. Red and blue volts glinted from Sollux's fingertips, trailing over her skin in tingling sensations before smoke-like wisps of red and blue danced around the both of them in a delicate flow. Saruna thought wind rose from the ground as she felt a breeze blow over her face, pushing stray hairs from her bangs out of her cerulean eye.

Sollux's lip twitched slightly as he focused his mind on his psionics, the occasional zap rather painful as it came from an ache of his still sore body, but he closed his eyes and ignored the pain out of determination. All of this was on him right now. If he couldn't get the both of them into the air, then they were sure to be at a loss. There hadn't been any voices in his head and he wanted to keep it like that. Voices meant someone was going to die, and since he had not heard anything in the past few days, it was a blessing. He used to hear them every day, every minute, but now… it was almost too good to be true!

His fingers curled further into the backs of Saruna's hands and soon he could feel it; his feet lifting off the ground, heel to toe as it seemed to effortlessly peel off. Due to the similar stance and hold on Saruna's hands (and the occasional breathless gasp from her lips), he knew he had focused enough of his psionics into her to lift her as well. His idea was working so far. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, spotting Saruna with wide eyes as she looked down at the ground that was getting further and further away. He didn't want to get too far, so once they were about ten feet or so from the ground he paused their lift and took a deep breath. It was… painful keeping the both of them airborne, but he did all he could to not show it.

"Are you okay?" His main concern was Saruna and her fears of flying, but it seemed to him that she was doing better than last time. Ever so slightly he could feel her tremble, but it was small and short lived.

Her heterochromatic eyes rose onto him and she nodded, "I am okay, but you… aren't hurting yourself right?"

 _In every way this hurts pretty fucking bad._ Is what Sollux nearly said, but he only shook his head at her to keep her from worrying about him. No, he needed her to be as calm as she could be. "Saruna, I need you to focus your psionics now."

"Into my hands?" Saruna inquired hesitantly.

Sollux cringed slightly, considering it a miracle that Saruna didn't notice it, "No, throughout your entire body in equal stability, like… when you pick up a ninja star, only this time pick up yourself. When you think you have done it correctly, tell me and I will test it."

She bit her lower lip nervously, giving the Gemini troll a curious look, but she trusted him well enough to try anything he asked of her. Inhaling deeply, her fingers tightened on his hand, returning his tight hold as she focused entirely on spreading her power through her body. Having never done such a thing except in a past she couldn't remember, the idea was perplexing and she wasn't sure how to approach it. She had to try, however, for Sollux. If he could do this, if he could keep fighting even when he was nearly on his death bed, then surely she could too. Erebus and the other trolls would not go easy on them. Preparation was necessary.

Saruna pressed her lips together as she tilted her head down in deep thought. Gog, she was scared beyond repair, but feeling Sollux's energy, his hands clasping hers, his eyes intensely on her, she felt safe and capable. She needed to fly… with her own powers. It felt like something inside of her surged with unfathomable strength, stronger than when she would lift a single ninja star or multiple destroyed home items from Kanaya's house. This energy… it had to have been her psionics. Saruna gasped as it filled her from head to toe in a warm embracing aura, shocked at how sudden and natural it was, almost like she knew how to do this the whole time. Her fear of flying had simply prevented her from trying. The longer she felt the comforting embrace, the more confident she felt of Sollux testing it. How he planned to do such a thing was beyond her, but she had a slightly suspicious and terrifying idea.

"Okay Sollux, I think I am ready." Saruna lifted her head to see him, and Sollux nodded slowly at her upon seeing gentle flickers escape her eyes.

"Alright, I'm going to let go of you then." He informed, and Saruna's eyes grew wide upon hearing this. Before she could start to panic, Sollux added, "I believe in you, but I will catch you if anything goes wrong."

His grip on her hands began to loosen and Saruna nearly became hysterical with fright, but she swallowed back her fears and slowly joined Sollux in their parting hands. They had to do this. She had to do this. His energy was lessening on her the further their hands released, and soon they were laying flat palm to palm. If Sollux moved back an inch, they would be separated. He pulled one hand away from hers, breaking apart the red joining of psionics. Saruna was shaking with trepidation, but she didn't say a word against the plan. The embrace inside of her remained, however, and she had faith that she would be okay. Sollux had promised to catch her should she fall from failing to control her psionics correctly, and she would be completely safe if she had done everything right in the first place.

"Ready?" Sollux was both kind and cruel to give her a warning that he was about to release her, and she indicated that she was indeed ready with a light, trembling nod.

And just like that, the warmth of hand was gone from hers, and she cringed fearfully, eyes squeezing shut, a shrill shriek escaping her lips as she had every belief in her that she had failed and was falling to the ground. However, wind did not whip around her body nor did she have much of a sensation of falling. Either Sollux had caught her or…

"You did it!" The Gemini's voice, full of elation surprised her. "Saruna, you're flying!"

"I'm flying…?" gingerly, Saruna's eyes pried open, one at a time to see Sollux hovering beneath her as she had instinctively crouched over in her fit of fright. Sollux was grinning from ear to ear at her, a rare and glorious sight to see. "I'm flying? I'm flying! Sollux, I'm flying!"

He chuckled as she straightened hastily, and had momentary panic when she had no clue what she was doing, "Easy, easy, you don't want to drop your focus or you _will_ fall. Take it slow and simple, one step at a time."

Saruna forced herself to remain calm while Sollux easily floated upwards a few feet. He placed himself in a laying position in the air, feet lifted lazily as he regarded Saruna with softening features. "It only gets easier from here honestly, you just control yourself to go where you want to." Sollux said in a knowledgable tone. "Again, it's like controlling the ninja star, just on yourself with a bit more energy. Come towards me."

In all truth, Saruna wasn't sure how she had managed to get this far, but her faith was reignited with this successful achievement. Normally, she used her hand and arm movement to send a ninja star wherever she wanted it go, but surely the same could not be done on herself. She kicked her legs, she flailed her arms, she tried making a swimming motion, but she didn't move an inch. Rather her body rotated around, flipping her upside down in the air. Sollux's laughter certainly didn't help the situation. He hovered over to her, mocking her positioning by flipping upside down himself.

"Sollux, you jerk." Saruna hissed, though she failed to hold back a smile. "I don't know how to move around, please help me instead of laughing at my misery."

"Alright, sorry." Sollux charmingly apologized. "But I don't know how else to explain it. It's a shit ton harder than I expected, so… maybe I can just show you?"

"How would you show me?" The amnesiac female questioned. "You won't strain yourself if you do it, right?"

"Not if you keep yourself up, but even then I'm pretty sure I would be fine anyway." assured Sollux, and he suddenly moved himself behind Saruna, muttering in her ear as his hands gently grabbed at her waist. "Also, it requires some pretty close contact, though I'm sure you won't mind too much."

Holy crap. Saruna had no idea what brought on the low, albeit sexy tone from Sollux, but she fought hard to prevent a scarlet blush from darkening her cheeks. No, she didn't mind, but a part of her wanted to fight that statement. Still… since when was Sollux so flirtatious and dare she say, hot? No no no, he wouldn't start this now, he was just helping her, maybe teasing her some more to get reactions.

"Okay, fine, I've slept in your lap, so no it isn't too bothersome." She replied. "I would appreciate being told your plan, however."

Sollux chuckled, "You're going to fly with me, see things through my eyes, and maybe you will be able to do it on your own."

Before Saruna could speak again, she was caught off guard when she began to move, soaring through the air and rotating to view the ground shifting beneath her. She had seen the view of flight a few times before, but was never able to appreciate it since there was typically a dangerous scene before the group. That and she was usually too afraid to look, but _now_ , here without any troubles, with Sollux keeping her close, could she finally see just what it was really like. Her body was tense the first few seconds, but she slowly relaxed as the green grass glided past quickly under her, going father away as Sollux increased the height bit by bit. Then the view went from the grass to the bright blue sky, patched with fluffy white clouds. How did she fear such a beautiful sight? What made her refuse it?

The wind against her skin, the sun beaming brightly, the thrill! Somehow it all felt so… familiar in this point of view. Saruna laughed as Sollux spun her around again, looping through the air to turn back to where they came from, though returning including twirls, spins, flips, and dips. Yet, they were all incredibly fun to Saruna, her arms spreading out like the wings of a bird. She prayed that she would be able to fly like this soon, just like Sollux.

When Kanaya's tattered home was in view, Saruna vaguely felt Sollux's body convulse against her, his hands tightening sharply on her waist before returning to their normal hold. She tilted her head as far back as she could and shouted at him to set them both down, and he obliged once they were back in their normal spot. His legs shook the second he landed, and Saruna spun around to hold him up. The warmth inside of her noticeably faded away too, worry consuming her while Sollux caught his breath again. Flickers of light from his eyes alerted her that he put a little too much effort in the flight. Helping him down to the ground for rest, Saruna kept a hand on Sollux's shoulder as he took deep breaths in.

"Damn it… so I'm _still_ at a limit." Sollux cursed bitterly. "It's better, but not enough. I need those petals if I want to be at most of my strength in two days."

Saruna said nothing, her attention on the claw mark scars on his right shoulder. She traced the four marks one by one, a solemn sigh escaping her lips as her hand trailed over the bandages wrapped around his chest. Sollux's gaze was firm on her, she could feel it from those secretive glasses always hiding his beautiful eyes. Sure, they were basically the same as hers, but his had so much more to them. The few times she was able to see them, they gave away what he was feeling, full of fierce raw emotion that his facial expressions failed to reveal. Sometimes she wanted to take them off herself, but knew he wouldn't like that.

"Hey," Sollux called for her attention. "Everything will be fine."

"You're going to get even more hurt if Karkat and Terezi don't come back in time…" Saruna worried, her eyes flicking over the remaining bandages and scars. "You could… _we_ could die at this rate, Sollux."

"Even without those petals I would still get hurt." informed Sollux, a snarky grin creasing his lips when Saruna seemed to ponder what she just said and how silly it was. "And remember, it only numbs pain and heals small injuries… at this rate it honestly won't do much for me anymore. Besides, I'm not the only one that's been getting injured." As he spoke, Sollux lifted a finger and tapped it on the scar on Saruna's forehead. "This is only one example too, there are many others that I haven't forgotten, even if they're out of sight. Think for yourself, not just me."

The amnesiac grabbed his hand at her forehead, shaking her head almost disappointedly at him, "What a hypocritical thing you just said. You should heed to your own words sometimes." Her head lowered and she let out a melancholy sigh, holding his hand in both of hers now. "Listen, I know you said that I won't lose you, that we won't die, but the future looks dim, and I feel like it's growing darker and darker by the passing moment. However, I have accepted it; I will gladly die if it is my time, Erebus be damned. But Sollux, if either of us somehow survive, somehow win, then… we must live to our fullest until our final breath. I thought about it a lot and I decided this, maybe for my own mental stability, I don't know, but… I'm sorry that I keep bringing this up." Saruna went ominously silent as her hands loosened on his, her body curling further over.

Sollux was at a loss. There wasn't anything more he could say that would comfort Saruna at this point. She was distressed, hopeless, and saddened. What could he do for her? What could he say to her? Nothing said would make the matter any better, and nothing done may ease her worries. He felt the exact same as her, he simply put up a front to hide it for her sake! And now, she was slowly breaking apart in front of him, crushed with the burden of the upcoming battle, and with boundless worry over him. All he wanted was for Saruna to be happy, for her to hold on to hope that they could get through this together.

There was no telling what brought it on, but soon his free hand was tenderly caressing her cheek, and her attention was on him one hundred percent again, a gentle gasp entering her lungs at his sweet gesture as she straightened herself. A soft red blush bloomed across her face. His mind was suddenly screaming at him, demanding he cease this, stop at once, before his heart would be broken even further with inevitable doom. Yet, the heart that would supposedly be shattered encouraged him to proceed with his desires, to quench his undeniable thirst for his feelings. This was going completely against his original beliefs, to avoid any intimate interaction with her. He was failing miserably, and he didn't realize he was leaning in closer to Saruna until he felt her warm breath puffing lightly on his lips. She was trying to calm herself, but the closer he came to her, the faster her heart began to beat, and the shakier her breath became. His name came out barely above a whisper. They were so close… lips nearly touching…

"Sollux! Saruna!"

And just like that they were pulling away from each other, dark blushes coating their cheeks as Sollux awkwardly cleared his throat while Saruna nonsensically messed with her hair. They avoided eye contact a few long seconds until the random voice boomed out again, and they both nervously glanced forward to see Karkat and Terezi waving at them as they sprinted toward them. Setting their awkward moment aside, Sollux and Saruna ran to meet the Cancer and Libra troll halfway, relieved to see that they were both almost exactly how they looked when they left days before. A few noticeable scratches here and there, but otherwise the same.

"It's good to see you guys again." Sollux spoke once they were face to face. "What the hell took so long?"

While Terezi handed him a flower with six petals bloomed on it, slightly worn from the journey but still usable by great miracle, Karkat explained, "There were fucking imps and possessed beasts everywhere! The sky was shrouded with Erebus's fucking cloud cover and it was a pain in the ass to travel through that fucking forest while being attacked every fucking minute it seemed!"

"But none of them were very hard to beat." added Terezi. "For the most part we were just worried that there wouldn't be any flowers left because of the sheer numbers of all those imps. Luckily I sniffed out this one, and that's when it became harder; keeping that damn flower alive and safe during fights was certainly a challenge."

"Thanks anyway." Sollux said with every ounce of gratefulness he could spill out. Simultaneously, he was partially pissed off for being interrupted right when he was about to kiss Saruna, but maybe it was better if he didn't. Plucking the petals off, he decided to get the taste over with and shoved them all into his mouth, cringing immediately at the horrible bitterness. Perhaps he should have ate them one by one in the end, but he suffered through it and swallowed carefully. If only he had some honey to drown out the taste now.

"Thank you Karkat and Terezi for doing this." piped up Saruna, a heavy weight appearing to be lifted from her shoulders with their return. "I am sorry that I asked such a risky request from you both."

Karkat nodded at her, though he didn't offer a smile, "It's fine, no need for thanks. How have you two held up in the meantime? Did any imps show up here?"

"No, nothing has happened here." Saruna answered, since Sollux was too mortified by the bitter taste remaining in his mouth. "We have just been awaiting your return. Sollux is doing much better as you can see, but his powers are still quite limited, so we hope these petals will help out in the end."

"Yeah, I hope so too." sighed Karkat. "We don't have much time left at this rate. Erebus will be coming back soon, in two fucking days at that."

"And with him most of our friends…" muttered Terezi.

The two tired trolls sat down on the grass with heavy relieved sighs, and Saruna noticed dark circles under their eyes. They had exhausted themselves with this journey to assist Sollux, likely getting little rest. Terezi flopped back into a laying position, confirming her weary composure further. Their clothes were still wet from crossing the water, added weight to their already heavy bodies. Saruna couldn't have been more indebted to them for doing all of this.

"I was actually thinking about the upcoming fight some," said Sollux after a moment of silence fell among them. "There will be nine enemies against the four of us. We need to split them by two, if you guys think you can handle two enemies at a time."

Terezi giggled to herself, "Come on now Sollux, we can handle it just fine. I call dibs on Vriska though, I know her best."

It was a reasonable idea, one that Sollux had guessed would happen. Keeping the deaths of his final dream in mind, there wasn't too much alarm to her request. Simultaneously, he was sure if Terezi was really willing to go through with fighting the cerulean blooded troll. They had seemed to be good friends, though they had their differences sometimes. Could she willingly face her without emotions getting the best of her like he had gone through against Aradia?

"Don't worry about my feelings on it either." As if she had read his mind, she confidently made her claim to set him at ease. "It may be her body and her blood, but it's not Vriska. They are all lifeless mind controlled zombies basically. None of them are who they once were."

She was right… and if only he had realized that before facing Aradia. Not a single one of those troll under Erebus's possession were their old friends. They were mindless machines being used against their will. Sollux cautiously agreed to her request.

"I would guess that Nepeta and Equius would fight as a pair if they were still a little conscious of their moirallegiance." He pondered. "Feferi and Eridan are a possibility too."

Karkat ran a hand through his wet hair, shaking his head. He seemed to be conflicted about this entire trial, and Sollux could certainly understand why. The crimson blooded troll was never one that enjoyed violence, he only partook in battle if his life was in trouble, or if his close friends were in danger. Otherwise he normally tried to avoid it to the best of his ability. This entire adventure had been way out of his comfort zone.

"I will face Gamzee." He suddenly said in a low tone.

Every alarm in Sollux's head went off instantly. A vision of Karkat's busted in head vividly played in his memories as he remembered Gamzee's clubs dripping with his red blood and shook his head frantically. That was one fight he needed to have avoided at all cost.

"Gamzee will kill you Karkat, I saw it in my dream." He persisted. "Your head… it was completely bashed in and his clubs were covered in your blood so please, you can't choose Gamzee. Call it paranoia or whatever, just…"

Terezi had sat up hastily upon hearing of Karkat's death by the hands of Gamzee potentially and she scowled angrily. Needless to say, they had a very bitter kismesis that Terezi despised with all her heart, and Karkat had to face betrayal of his own moirallegiance with Gamzee. Both the Cancer and Libra troll had a strong feeling of willingness to face the highblood at this rate, but after the scenes of his nightmare, Sollux refused to risk anything. They had not gone this far just to lose.

"I will face Gamzee then." hissed Terezi. "I would love to have some justice done, and to do it with my own hands is certainly a privilege."

"But Terezi…" Karkat began to complain, but she was set on her word, the remaining scowl a clear clue. "Okay… I'll watch your back, just be careful. I guess I will take on Nepeta and Equius."

Grateful, Sollux agreed, but now came the hard part. Who would Saruna be the best to put up against with the remaining choices of Feferi and Eridan, or Aradia and Tavros? Cruel as it was for him to think about it, Tavros was likely an easy target if he was still of timid nature, but his attitude would likely be diminished and he would fight just like the rest. All of them were dangerous enemies.

"I want to face Eridan and Feferi."

Sollux spun on his toes to face Saruna with wide eyes at her sudden outspoken claim. She glanced at him with steely bicolored eyes, lips set thin with determination. He officially hated that look now that she was using it at this moment. However, who was he to refuse her help? She had been practicing this whole time to fight at his side with confidence. His expression softened some as he nodded mutely, and her lips curved into a small appreciative smile. Just as Karkat intended to watch Terezi's back, he swore to watch hers.

"Okay, so I've got Aradia, Tavros, and Erebus." Sollux declared, and he watched the tiny smile on Saruna's face disappear immediately once she realized he had three. "Yes, I will be facing three trolls at once, but I should be fine. We each have our own challenges to face with our enemies in this final battle, but I know we will have each others back if any one of us get in trouble." He glanced over the small group one by one, Karkat and Terezi's stature presenting their preparedness for the fight. Saruna still seemed timid, though Sollux had closely watched the growing difference in her since the first day they met. "It is the final battle guys… we have to make this one count. We should get some rest, tomorrow is our last day to prepare. Thanks, KK and TZ, for the petals too, it feels like they're starting to work."

Sollux turned on his feet then and sauntered away from the others. He didn't know why he left them, especially since two of his friends had finally returned, but he did know he felt exceedingly worn out and stressed beyond the point of return. Perhaps he was afraid that he would reach a breaking point in front of them and none of them needed that. It was difficult staying strong, though he could guess they felt the same way.

The sky was painted in orange, yellow, and red, signaling an end to the day. Tomorrow was the last day before Erebus returned, and with him, their friends. They were all nervous, but they each held onto a single belief that they would succeed and bring peace to the galaxies tainted by Erebus's dark hands. Saruna had it set in her heart that she would not be a hindrance to any of her allies like she had believed to have been in many previous conflicts. She prayed that she was useful now that she had been able to practice using her psionics, and thanks to Sollux, could even levitate herself. It was only the beginning of training in that course, however, and she had little time to truly get it down.

No! She could not think so negatively… Everything would work out in the end.

Pressing a hand to her chest, Saruna reminiscently watched the sun slip away before she resolved to try and get some necessary rest for the last calm day of tomorrow.


	29. Chapter 28: Night of Perfection

**Hellooooo everyone! Yeeeaah, I know, I took forever to update but I'm sure you can understand the struggle of school! My hope for now, with Winter Break coming along, I will definitely have more time to write and update. But no, I have not forgotten about this story so no worries. For now, enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 28: Night of Perfection

It was no use.

No matter how much she started to doze off, Saruna was opening her eyes to the same starry sky that she had seen merely minutes ago. She told herself over and over that she was tired, and by gog she was, but that was just the problem. Her mind would not shut off for her sake of rest and sanity. Anything and everything reeled through her thoughts, and they varied from if her psionics would work for her, to the upcoming battle against the trolls, to what her past could have been like, and whatever else slipped into her think pan. All of the thoughts were starting to give her a blistering headache. Lifting her body into a sitting position, Saruna rubbed her eyes and sighed when she heard Karkat and Terezi sleeping peacefully beside her. At least they were finally able to recharge their weary bodies… Saruna could only guess how little sleep they were able to get in their entire search for the crystal blue flower. Sollux was lucky to have friends like them.

While she was on the thought oh the Gemini troll, where _was_ Sollux? He was nowhere around them she came to notice, after searching for him quizzically. Was sleep a fleeting action for him as well? Soundlessly, Saruna rose to her feet and rubbed her arms with a shudder. The air was a little chillier than it normally was tonight, she was certain she saw her breath faintly. Scanning the field with squinted eyes, Saruna pinched her lips together when she could barely make out anything but the dark shadows of the wide field. Did Sollux really have to wander off now, at this late in time? She lifted her left hand, and focused a ball of red into her palm for some light, hesitantly moving forward to seek out Sollux. The grass made little to no sound under her feet, the silence rather intimidating to the amnesiac. It was only then she saw a shimmer of red and blue in the direction of the lake, and she tiredly made her way towards it. Why, for heaven's sake, was Sollux using his psionics at this time?

The closer she came, the more she could see as she diminished her own light for the last remaining few steps. Sollux levitated in the air inches away from the lake, his three ninja stars spinning around him as he gracefully swayed his arms in meaningless, yet elegant waves. His back to her, she was conflicted about calling out to him lest she distract him completely and he tumble to the ground clumsily from surprise. At the same time, it bothered her that he was using his powers when he was supposed to be recovering, though witnessing his relaxed movements was proof that he was already doing better.

"So, you can't sleep either?" When his voice spoke up to her, Saruna jumped with surprise herself, the tables turned in an instant. Sollux chuckled as he rotated to face her, lowering to the ground and dropping his weapons. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"Just a little." Saruna admitted. "I did not think that you heard me come over here. What are you doing anyway? You should be-"

"Sleeping?" Sollux completed her sentence, and darkness surrounded them as he ceased his psionics. The moon, stars and the brightness of their eyes were the only light, though Sollux's eyes were dulled behind his glasses. "You should be sleeping too, but neither of us can sleep apparently and here we are. Funny how that works, huh?"

Saruna snorted at him, laughing under her breath at his charming wit. She was quick to catch herself, leering at him seriously with every intention to scold him for exerting himself so late at night, but the words wouldn't come. Whether it was because she felt she had berated him enough or if she just didn't have it in her to yell anymore, she wasn't sure, but the longer she stared at him, the more awkward it became. Sollux restlessly shifted his weight onto his other leg and tilted his head at her curiously.

"So, what's on your mind?" He questioned her after a solid minute had passed in unbearable silence. "You look like you want to ask me something, but either can't or won't."

Now that he was asking, she honestly did have a question. Approaching it was a completely different story though, one that likely required great thought and coaxing. Ever since they had hastily distanced themselves, Saruna craved to know if Sollux had every intention to actually kiss her earlier that day, and if he did have that intention, did that mean he had red feelings for her? The query was so clear in Saruna's mind, but trying to inquire about it would allow her to open her mouth and nothing more. She was intimidated with asking it for the most part. If none of it was true, if this was just a severe fantasy that she imagined somehow, she would have to play it off as nothing to her when it meant _everything._ Her heart soared when she was with Sollux, her confidence bloomed when he was around, and gog she felt safe with him. Even without a past to remember, he had made her happy to be alive. Saruna was infatuated with him, more than she could express currently in her stupid pose of a shaking girl with thousands of questions running through her mind.

Sollux lifted an eyebrow at her and chuckled before snapping his fingers in front of her face, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Ah! I'm sorry…" Saruna ducked her head bashfully, rebuking herself mentally at how ridiculous she was being. This was Sollux she was speaking to! She could ask him anything in confidence… right? Her lips parted slightly before clamping together yet again, and she was eternally grateful when Sollux ran a hand through his hair and grunted when his fingertips grazed the bandages wrapping his head. He prodded at the bandages a few times before frowning.

"Do you mind taking this one off of me?" He asked Saruna, inching closer to her. "It's seriously annoying, and I'm sure my head is fine now."

"Oh, yeah sure." Saruna motioned him to turn around and take a seat on the ground, and once he settled himself, she sunk down behind him and carefully worked at the wrapping. The moment his head was freed from the layers of white, Sollux let out a long sigh of relief.

"Thank you." He said. "It felt like a major constriction on my head!"

Saruna cringed mentally, wondering if she had put them on too tight accidentally. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, flattened by the wrappings, and spiked it back up to her best ability. A few times she accidentally scraped over the scab formed on the back of his head and Sollux would hiss softly to alert her, causing her to pull her hands away slightly and apologize. He wasn't helping too much in the first place, leaning backwards into her hands like a happy little grub when she would get a rhythm going to fix his hair. There were a couple of times she swore she heard him purr ever so softly, though it also sounded like a hum similar to a bee buzzing for the most part. It was particularly endearing. When his hair reached a satisfying point to Saruna, she ceased her mindless grooming and was caught off guard when Sollux seemed to grunt in disappointment. While his hair was quite soft and fun to play with, Saruna wanted his attention, without any distraction. She lowered her gaze bashfully and allowed her words to come out.

"Sollux, I need to ask you something."

The Gemini troll perked and turned to face her with an inquisitive expression, "Yeah? What do you need to ask me?"

Her heart was suddenly pounding against her chest, nerves creeping back up and nearly consuming her. She swallowed, telling herself to just say it…!

Spill it out!

Ask away...!

"Earlier today Sollux, before Karkat and Terezi returned, were you going to kiss me?" She spoke very quickly and frantically, there was no telling if he even understood a word she had said. Almost immediately she wished she had chosen her words carefully, but there was no going back. However, his unanticipated silence justified her worries for a long time until he had a change in his attitude completely. The lack of light irritated Saruna now as she could not tell what Sollux was thinking nor see his expressions very clearly. Did she just make a grave mistake bringing this up? He rose to his feet and turned away from her.

"Saruna…" Why did he sound… saddened? This was going in the wrong direction, and Saruna almost didn't want him to continue for her sake of keeping her heart together. "If you really want the truth about that whole thing, then yes, I was going to kiss you."

Perhaps she should have perked with relief at that moment, but she remained as still as death. Sure, it was glorious to know that his intentions were to kiss her, however, with his voice so melancholy and regretful it almost hurt more than it helped. She was absolutely mortified.

"I honestly shouldn't have done it, but I just couldn't stop myself until KK came in…" Sollux pressed a hand against his forehead and sighed heavily, but Saruna was on the brink of tears. Did he regret his action or something? She waited for him to continue, letting his next set of words decide how she would feel about all of this. "Listen, I know I probably sound like a huge asshole right now, but let me justify my reasonings. You already know them for the most part though: Aradia and Feferi."

The twinge of anger and sorrow swelling within Saruna fizzled upon the mentioning of their names. She tried desperately to put herself in Sollux's shoes, to understand what he was feeling, but alas she would never be able to truly understand. All she could do was pity him for his grueling losses and question what more they had to do with him to make him like this. Rising slowly to her feet, Saruna somberly stared at his backside. Sollux shook his head, cursing lightly to himself as he dropped his hand from his face.

"The two trolls that I came to feel red for died either by my hand or because I couldn't protect them." He explained with repetition, turning to face her, but avoiding her eyes. "Both were dead shortly after we would barely begin a relationship. I am a Doom aspect, I heard them die before it happened. I just didn't know when it would happen, but I believed I was able to change the future with the knowledge… and I was wrong. It still happened, with me unable to do a damn thing!" Sollux's eyes gave off a fierce spark and Saruna flinched when he seemed like he would go on a rage of anger and regret. The powers died away as soon as they came though, and he calmed again. "I have not heard your voice Saruna, and I want it to stay that way. Whether I am just bad luck because I am a Doom player, I don't know, but I refuse to let it happen again, especially to you. Maybe I sound really stupid and ridiculous too, but I don't give a shit. You have to understand…"

Saruna _did_ feel like she understood everything then, and she was happier than she could show. If her translation was correct, Sollux loved her, and he was only afraid to show her because he believed he was cursed to lose anyone he dared to love. His paranoia was set, though he didn't want it to be, with reason. There was only one day left, and their fates were not determined yet, Sollux had said so himself. Nothing would change from this… With the tenderness of a lusus, Saruna cupped his cheek in her palm and he froze in place, lifting his gaze onto her as occasional tremors ran through him from the chill in the air.

"I'm scared too," She whispered in a low tone. "But I do not want to have any regrets either. There isn't a lot of time left and I don't want to be torn on the battlefield with this question. So please tell me, Sollux, do you love me? Because I feel red and I want to be with you if we survive this fight. I know you're scared to lose me, like I am terrified to lose you, but if we watch out for each other we won't! Just because you are Mage of Doom doesn't mean… you can't harbor any feelings toward me. It will change nothing… The future is never set."

Saruna gasped softly as Sollux reached up and placed his hand over hers and when she felt his fingers graze her chin, she shuddered with delight, relishing his warm hand as it framed her cheek, "But how can you be so sure about that? How do you know that… by doing this we won't set the future to one we don't want?"

She smiled at him, "I don't know. I just believe that there is a future where we survive, even when we feel like their isn't. There is no point in worrying about it though. Nothing we do will help us see if we live or die. We have to live in the present… right now. I came to decide this only now to be honest." A light and tender giggle escaped her lips, enough to get Sollux to smile just a little. He let out a sigh, conflicted and distraught, but Saruna thought she could vaguely see a hint of happiness in him.

His lips parted, but he said nothing for what felt like forever. Once he spoke, however, Saruna's blood pumper gave a wild flutter, "Fine… I trust you. And to answer your first question, yes, I am flushed for you too, Saruna Kerida."

The world was right in Saruna's eyes in that moment as pure contentedness flooded her every sense. There was nothing else she wanted, nothing she desired that could make it better. She questioned the warmth slipping down her other cheek, and come to realize she was crying joyous tears. Is this what it was like to feel loved? To feel so elated that one could just fly? Sollux entwined his hand into hers, pulling it from his cheek and lowering them between their bodies. Even behind those damn glasses she could feel the emotion in his dual colored eyes, bearing deep into her. She couldn't take it much longer.

Using her free hand, Saruna cautiously it moved up to Sollux's face, brushing the tips of her fingers on the frame of his glasses. When he made no sudden movement, or declined her actions, she slid them off and held them precariously between her fingers. All she wanted was to see his fluorescent heterochromatic eyes, and behold the pure passion within them, and indeed, his half lidded eyes gazed fervently on her. She could discern his feelings for her in them and the tale they told sent shivers down her spine. He was finally at peace with the entire decision to tell her the truth… willing to face whatever may come from it in the end… and he really, truly, irrevocably loved her. Saruna could only handle so much wordless eye contact with Sollux. She longed for more…

"Kiss me, Sollux…" Saruna requested, great need filling every breathless word.

His lips curved into a cunning smirk and she blushed at how crazy she must have sounded, if not hopelessly lustful. Her worries were put to ease quickly as Sollux slowly and subtly leaned closer to her in acknowledgement to her request, and before she knew it they were almost in the exact same position earlier just before Karkat blared his and Terezi's arrival hours before. This time, however, no one was there to stop them unexpectedly, splitting them apart to catch their breath and avoid eye contact desperately with fast blood pumpers and awkward occasional coughs.

No, not this time.

Their warm breath mingled in the air, warming each other's lips in gentle, shaky puffs. Saruna tried to keep her eyes open to admire Sollux, to watch him and view him up close and personal, but it was a failed task for the both of them.

As their lips finally pressed together, they were lost in blissful satisfaction. It was their own solemn promise to each other; to guard each other, protect themselves, and love each other. Sollux released her hand and pulled at her waist, pressing her close against him almost hungrily. His glasses hazardously slipped from between her fingers as she tangled them into his hair gently, while her other hand mindlessly snaked over his shoulder and further helped keep her pressed eagerly against him, savoring the warmth radiating from his body onto her. Nothing could compare to the feeling of his lips pressing against hers passionately as he held her against him tightly, tenderly, lovingly. She had to admit, she didn't expect him to be such a good kisser, but gog she was so grateful for it and was happy to steal a few more from him.

There was nothing more she wanted. What more could either of them want? Just the two of them… beneath the light of the moon and stars, together without any disturbances or fears through the remainder of the night.

It was perfection in their eyes that they could only wish would last forever.


End file.
